I have 3 rhods in front of our porch which we planted about 2-3 years ago. Last fall I sprayed each leaf, on both sides (that's not a 10-minute job!) with anti-desiccant to keep the moisture in and protect from drying winter winds.
Is this pain-in-the-neck task really necessary?
-
- Jan in Zone 6, Plainfield NJ
Anti-desiccant? Is it worth the bother?
If the drying winds have caused problems in the past then it sounds like you need to spray but if you are doing it just because, consider not doing it to one of the three and observe what happens thru mid-summer.
I agree with you... it is a super pain in the neck task if one has to do it.
I agree with luis_pr. Sounds like last year was the first year you did the spray--so what happened to them in the previous years when you didn't apply the anti-dessicant? If you had problems with them then it's probably worth the trouble, but if nothing happened in those years then it may be more trouble than it's worth.
Not only is it labor intensive, but it has to be repeated several times in the Winter because it rubs off especially with snow and ice
You also have to spray several times during the winter because the leaves will shed the film the spray makes on the leaf when it is exposed to weather changes. I do not think the time and materials merit the protection it may give.
Al Fitzburgh