If you are concerned at all about the health of your family and pets and the overall health of the natural environment that supports us, then you should pursue organic gardening. Organic gardening is not as difficult as you might think and it is ultimately quite rewarding to know that you are working in harmony with nature. The overuse of pesticides and toxics has been shown to have a wide array of negative impacts, from affecting the health of people and pets to affecting natural river systems and indigenous animals and plants. If you have a fish pond in your garden then you definitely want to pursue the organic option as many pesticides have dire effects on fish.

When it comes to gardening with roses, organic gardening is really no different than for any other plant. The key is preventing disease right from the start by promoting an ecologically balanced garden.

The first thing any organic gardener should do is to create their own compost pile. Not only is this an excellent way to reduce the waste going to landfill sites, it will also produce natural, high-quality organic fertilizer for your plants. A simple compost pile is easy to set up, and it will provide rich, humus-rich soil that will help your plants thrive. Find a spot in your garden that you can begin to throw all organic kitchen waste and garden cuttings � this will be the start of your compost pile.

Compost can help to improve the quality of your soil and also acts as excellent mulch for all your plants, including roses. You can put down about three inches of compost on top of your flower bed as a mulch � this will ensure that water doesn’t evaporate from the soil as quickly and will add important nutrients into the soil.

Putting down a good quality mulch will also encourage healthier, stronger rose bushes which are more resistant to diseases and pests.

Some of the best actions you can take to avoid an invasion of pests, a plague of diseases, and other natural disasters that befall roses, are preventive measures. These include providing good air circulation among the plants, planting roses in as much sun as possible, and keeping the leaves dry by watering the base of the plant.

If you must use pesticide, find organic versions at your local nursery or garden center. Usually, gardeners recommend the garden fungicide known as Bordeaux mixture. However, Bordeaux mix has a copper base that is known to impact bees and has long term negative impact on soils. An organic solution is a much healthier one and there are numerous organic fungicides available on the market. Alternatively, using the following home-made rose fungicide will also deter the fungus from even starting on your roses. Dissolve 1 rounded tablespoon of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) in 4.5 litres of water. Add 21/2 tablespoons of Pest Oil. Stir the mixture well and spray weekly on roses to prevent black spot and mildew.

Similarly, a potassium bicarbonate fungicide is an organic way to chase away mildew during the growing season, especially in areas with extreme humidity. It has the added advantage of being safer than the homemade solutions that many rose growers use. If the fungus infection has spread quickly and you didn't catch it early enough, try using copper or sulfur fungicides.
If you're dedicated to organic gardening, then one of the first things you'll need to learn is to put up with some imperfections in your roses. It's a small price to pay to be chemical-free!