agric

ultu

re,

fore

stry

& fi

sher

ies

Dep

artm

ent:

Agric

ultu

re, F

ores

try a

nd F

ishe

ries

REPU

BLIC

OF

SOUT

H AF

RICA

Fur

ther

info

rmat

ion

can

be o

btai

ned

from

Dire

ctor

ate

Pla

nt P

rodu

ctio

nP

rivat

e B

ag X

250

PR

ET

OR

IA 0

001

Tel

+27

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319

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319

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Em

ail

Tha

bo.R

amas

hala

@da

ff.go

v.za

2012

(rev

ised

)

Prin

ted

and

publ

ishe

d by

Dep

artm

ent o

f Agr

icul

ture

, For

estry

and

Fis

herie

sO

btai

nabl

e fro

m

Res

ourc

e C

entre

D

irect

orat

e C

omm

unic

atio

n S

ervi

ces

P

rivat

e B

ag X

144

P

reto

ria

0001

Ros

e ge

rani

um in

cul

tivat

ion

is s

ubje

ct t

o nu

mer

ous

and

very

viru

lent

fung

al, v

iral a

nd b

acte

rial d

isea

ses,

na

mel

y bo

tryt

is g

rey

mou

ld o

r m

ildew

, le

af s

pot

and

blos

som

blig

ht,

bact

eria

l blig

ht,

alte

rnar

ia le

af s

pot,

rust

, b

lack

leg

an

d b

lack

ste

m r

ot,

ro

ot-

kno

t n

em

a-

tod

es,

so

lari

satio

n (

he

at

stre

ss),

an

d g

era

niu

m y

el-

low

ing

dise

ase.

For

the

cont

rol o

f ros

e ge

rani

um d

isea

ses:

• T

ake

cutti

ngs

only

from

hea

lthy

plan

ts w

hich

hav

e be

en k

ept d

ry.

• D

isca

rd a

ny p

lant

s w

ith v

irus-

like

sym

ptom

s su

ch

as m

osai

c, d

isto

rtio

n or

leaf

spo

ts. P

ract

ise

sani

ta-

tion

whe

n pr

opag

atin

g cu

tting

s.

• D

estr

oy in

fest

ed p

lant

s, r

otat

e pl

antin

g ar

eas

and

neve

r re

plan

t in

know

n in

fest

ed a

reas

unl

ess

clea

red

from

infe

ctio

n.

Ack

now

ledg

emen

ts

We

th

an

k th

e m

em

be

rs o

f S

AE

OP

A a

nd

KA

RW

IL

cons

ulta

ncy

for

info

rmat

ion

prov

ided

.RRo

se ge

raniu

mos

e ger

anium

Pela

rgon

ium

cv.

rosé

Fam

ily: G

eran

iace

ae

Bac

kgro

und

Ess

en

tia

l o

il cr

op

s a

re c

rop

s th

at

ha

ve v

ola

tile

, a

rom

atic

oils

in c

ert

ain

pa

rts

of

the

pla

nt.

Ess

en

tial

oils

are

na

tura

l pla

nt

pro

du

cts

wh

ich

acc

um

ula

te in

sp

ecia

lised

str

uctu

res

such

as

oil c

ells

, gl

andu

lar

tri-

chom

es, a

nd o

il or

res

in v

esse

ls. T

he o

il is

ext

ract

ed

fro

m t

he

pla

nt

thro

ug

h s

tea

m d

istil

latio

n,

che

mic

al

extr

actio

n or

CO

2 ex

trac

tion.

Pel

argo

nium

cv.

ros

é is

a s

hrub

by p

eren

nial

gro

win

g to

a h

eigh

t of 1

m if

left

unpr

uned

.

Orig

in a

nd d

istr

ibut

ion

Pel

argo

nium

cv.

rosé

is e

ndem

ic to

the

Wes

tern

Cap

e.

It is

a h

ybrid

spe

cies

that

was

dev

elop

ed fr

om c

ross

ing

P. c

apita

tum

and

P. r

aden

s. R

ose

gera

nium

is m

ainl

y gr

own

in th

e Lo

wve

ld o

f Mpu

mal

anga

, Kw

aZul

u-N

atal

, W

este

rn C

ape

and

Lim

popo

pro

v inc

es.

Clim

atic

and

soi

l req

uire

men

ts

Ros

e ge

rani

um r

equi

res

wel

l- d

rain

ed s

oil w

ith a

pH

ra

ng

e o

f 5

,0 t

o 8

,5.

It g

row

s w

ell

un

de

r fr

ost

-fre

e co

nditi

ons

at a

tem

pera

ture

ran

ge o

f 10

to 3

3° C

. The

su

itabl

e ra

infa

ll fo

r dr

ylan

d cu

ltiva

tion

shou

ld r

ange

be

twee

n 70

0 an

d 1

500

mm

per

yea

r, u

nifo

rmly

dis

-tr

ibut

ed th

roug

hout

the

seas

on.

Use

s

Ro

se g

era

niu

m o

il a

ssis

ts i

n b

ala

nci

ng

th

e s

ecr

e-

tion

of

seb

um

an

d c

lea

rin

g s

lug

gis

h a

nd

oily

ski

ns.

T

radi

tiona

lly g

eran

ium

was

use

d to

sto

p bl

eedi

ng, e

ar

ache

, hea

l wou

nds,

ulc

ers

and

skin

dis

orde

rs, a

s w

ell

as to

trea

t dia

rrho

ea, d

ysen

tery

and

col

ic.

Th

ere

is a

fre

sh p

rod

uce

ma

rke

t o

n a

lim

ited

sca

le

with

in t

he

cu

t flo

we

r in

du

stry

fo

r lo

ng

, fr

esh

ste

ms

used

in f

low

er a

rran

gem

ents

as

back

grou

nd f

iller

in

flow

er a

rran

gem

ents

and

pro

vidi

ng a

ros

e sc

ent.

Abo

ve:

Cut

tings

bei

ng m

ade

(Pho

togr

aph:

W.G

. Alb

erts

)

Cul

tura

l pra

ctic

es

Pla

ntin

g

In-r

ow

sp

aci

ng

of

40

cm

with

a r

ow

wid

th o

f 5

0 c

m

that

will

giv

e a

tota

l of 5

0 00

0 pl

ants

per

hec

tare

whe

n g

row

ing

in a

hig

h r

ain

fall

are

a o

r u

nd

er

irri

ga

tion

is

nece

ssar

y. In

are

as w

ith lo

wer

rai

nfal

l, de

nsity

can

be

20 0

00 to

30

000

plan

ts p

er h

ecta

re.

Pro

paga

tion

As

rose

ger

aniu

m is

a h

ybrid

, pro

paga

tion

is th

eref

ore

do

ne

by

cutt

ing

s fr

om

mo

the

r p

lan

t m

ate

ria

l o

r b

y m

eans

of t

issu

e cu

lture

.

Fer

tilis

atio

n

Cal

cium

and

pot

assi

um a

re im

port

ant

for

succ

essf

ul

gro

wth

. P

ho

sph

oru

s u

pta

ke is

en

ha

nce

d b

y m

yco

r-rh

iza

l fu

ng

i a

sso

cia

tio

n (

pre

sen

t in

th

e s

oil)

. H

igh

nitr

ogen

leve

ls c

an in

crea

se h

erba

ge y

ield

. How

ever

, it

may

res

ult i

n lo

wer

oil

yiel

d pe

r m

ass.

Irrig

atio

n

Ove

rhe

ad

, fl

oo

d a

nd

dri

p i

rrig

ati

on

ca

n b

e u

sed

. O

verh

ea

d ir

rig

atio

n s

ho

uld

be

use

d w

ith c

are

as

it m

ay in

duce

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f fun

gal d

isea

ses.

Wee

d co

ntro

l

Inte

r-ro

w c

ultiv

atio

n ca

n be

don

e by

a t

ract

or-d

raw

n cu

ltiv

ato

r o

r h

an

d h

oe

. M

ulc

hin

g w

ith

co

mp

ost

or

gras

s w

ill in

hibi

t wee

d gr

owth

.

Pes

t and

dis

ease

con

trol

Ros

e ge

rani

um p

lant

s ar

e at

tack

ed b

y m

any

diffe

rent

sp

ecie

s be

long

ing

mai

nly

to th

e H

emip

tera

, Col

eopt

era

and

Lepi

dopt

era.

Am

ong

the

mos

t im

port

ant p

ests

are

th

e w

hit

e g

rub

s, c

utw

orm

s, c

ock

cha

fers

, w

hit

efl

y,

aphi

ds, m

ites,

term

ites

and

whi

te p

each

sca

le.