I have being thinking of starting this topic for some time,.."Caring For Roses",..but i don't want to type up a long list of remedies and suggestions,..all at one time,..nor do i want to be the sole member posting or making a contribution on this subject,..so please feel free to add your two cents as they say,..all suggestions,remedies and cures will be most welcome. First here is a recipe for prevention of Mildew,Rust and Black Spot,..and will also rid you of same were you to have any of the above,..this concoction is not new by any means,..and i use it on all my rose bushes( approx 16),..and anything else in the garden,..oh insects don't like this concoction either. 1 Tablespoon of Vegetable Oil. 1 Tablespoon of Cider Vinegar. 1 Tablespoon of Liquid Soap. 1 Teaspoon of Listerine.(note,teaspoon). 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Baking Soda. Mix the ingredients then add to 1 Gallon of water. When mixing do so gently as the concoction can become frothy. I used up 1 Litre of liquid in a days spraying of mainly the rose bushes. Mildew. -------------------------------------------------- Mildew is a fungal disease, which affects roses. The first signs of powdery mildew appear on young leaves, which hold their color but begin to crinkle. Then small patches of mold appear that develop into spore-bearing fungal filaments on foliage, stems and all other parts of the rose, even the buds (looks like a thin, white powdery substance sitting on growth, which steadily becomes deformed with the spread of the disease). It spreads in white strands, which anchor themselves to the foliage. From there the fungus will draw on the moisture and nutrients within the leaves. As soon as you see the crinkling of young rose leaves be on the watch; the sooner mildew is arrested the better. Mildew can spread thoughout the garden rapidly. The disease is worst during hot, dry weather with cool, moist nights. Spores are dormant until they get the moisture required to germinate. Once the leaf surface is moist and remains moist (from overhead sprinkling or condensation) for about 3 hours, the mildew spores will begin to germinate. This can occur in damp, shady gardens where air circulation is poor, also where plants are stressed due to overcrowding or dehydration (plants insufficiently watered at the root level are often attacked by mildew). Plants grown in areas with not enough sunlight will produce thinner leaves making them more prone to infection. Also plants deficient in nutrients (especially calcium) have weaker leaf tissue and that makes them more vulnerable to disease. It is important to keep roses well watered at the root level during hot days and prevent water from getting onto the leaves, especially before nightfall. Providing good air circulation between roses is vital. This helps dry up the roses more quickly. Good pruning methods and generous spacing between rose bushes when planting (generally 3 feet between hybrid teas and 4 feet between larger rose bushes is recommended). Treat dormant plants with lime sulphur in spring and spray with fungicidal soap. Some folks have had certain success with stinging nettle spray. It is meant to help plants resist mildew and other diseases such as blackspot and rust. To make: gather 1 pound of stinging nettle plants (use long rubber gloves and wear protective clothing to prevent from being stung!); crush stinging nettle leaves and put into an old burlap sack or pillow case. Submerge the bag in a one-gallon bucket containing unchlorinated water, cover and let sit in a warm place for a week. Strain mixture through cheesecloth or mesh. Dilute liquid stinging nettle concentrate with 5 parts water to 1 part concentrate. Spray this over rose bushes every two weeks. If mildew persists in the garden, one should consider buying disease resistant varieties. Roses from the Rugosa family are highly recommended, as they are the most resistant to this disease. Rust On Rose Leaves. ----------------------------------- Rust is a fungal disease that seems to be more prevalent in West Coast gardens; it is rarely indicated east of the Rocky Mountains. Rust appears as its name implies, as red-orange spots (raised looking like warts) on undersides of leaves and yellow blotches on top surfaces. Long, narrow rust spots or streaks may also form on young canes. If left on roses, these spots will develop into large groupings of rust 'warts' and in autumn they will turn black. Ultimately this disease will cause the entire defoliation of the rose plant. Rust thrives in cool, moist weather (18 to 21 degrees Celsius, 64 to 69 degrees Fahrenheit), especially in rainy, foggy or misty conditions. This disease will develop on leaf surfaces that remain wet for 4 hours (as can occur during summer fogs, heavy dews or extended rains). Reproduction of rust spores occurs every 10 to 14 days throughout summer. If rust infected leaves are left on the damp ground, insects, rain and wind can spread the disease spores. In these conditions it is imperative to keep an eye on your rose bushes. Any appearance of rust must be dealt with immediately. Remove any affected leaves and bag them or burn them. Do not add the diseased parts to the compost as they will return to haunt your garden the following year when recycled back into the soil. Spray the rose bushes with wettable sulphur (do not use sulphur on days when the temperature exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit or 26+ degrees Celsius or you will injure your plants) or fungicidal soap. One way to combat rust and the other fungal diseases, mildew and blackspot, is to minimize excessively water logged soil around rose plants. Good soil drainage is essential for moisture control; adding organic matter, double digging beds or planting raised beds are effective means in providing a good healthy environment for roses. Also it is best to avoid working in a wet rose garden so as not to help spread rust spores (this is also sound advice regarding minimizing the spread of blackspot and mildew). Try to limit wetting the foliage on rose plants while watering and provide good air circulation between plants by spacing them well apart from one another (planting hybrid teas and smaller rose bushes 3 feet apart and larger rose bushes 4 feet apart). Prune to keep the centers of rose bushes open for air circulation as this will assist in keeping them drier. Remember that rust spores overwinter on leaves and canes and are distributed by wind and water. A good autumn cleanup will help prevent spores from hiding in your garden throughout winter. If winter ends up being cold and harsh, chances are that rust will be limited, especially if the following summer is hot, conditions not favorable to the disease. Blackspot. ---------------------------------------------------- Blackspot, "Diplocarpon rosae", is a nasty fungus that manifests itself on rose bushes as black spots on leaves progressing to black spots fringed with yellow rings on both sides of the leaves. As they develop the spots enlarge. Eventually, as the disease spreads, the entire leaves will go from green to yellow and then drop to the ground. With time the entire rose bush may become defoliated. Leaves less than two weeks old are the most susceptible to this disease. Defoliation brought on by blackspot is worst during wet weather, especially humid weather. The fungus becomes active in a wet environment with a temperature of about 24 degrees Celsius (approximately 75 degrees Fahrenheit). It needs about 7 hours of these conditions to germinate and then symptoms will begin to appear on rose foliage within three to ten days. From then on spores are produced every three weeks. If unchecked, blackspot can affect the entire rose garden leaving an unattractive appearance of many 'bare-naked' plants. Spores can over winter in the garden so autumn cleanup is crucial otherwise the entire cycle can repeat itself the following spring and summer. With any of the three diseases above,..its the ingredients given at the top of the post that work,..Baking powder is a powerful help added with liquid soap to help it stick to the leaves. There are situations however where NOTHING will work for you,..and this is down to the location of your roses,..and your climate,..remember if rose leaves are wet for more than seven hours mildew will start to form,.."I try not to water my rose leaves,..but water the base",..its similar to clothes remaining damp for a long period,..here in Ireland we have spells of Mildew often,..(because we get long spells of rain)but prevention is better and easier than the cure,..if all fruit fails then the suggestion would be to go for "Disease Free Species",..like the "Rugosa Rose Family Species",..to mention one. Rose Food/Fertilizer. ------------------------------------------------- Do you use Synthetic Fertilizer or Organic?. Synthetic Fertilizer feeds the plant. Organic Fertilizer feeds the soil,..which feeds the plant. Synthetics are high in Soluble Nitrates,..the Nitrogen form used directly by the plant,..using these will create immediate uptake of this Nitrogen,..creating a burst of fast growth,..BUT also producing plant sucking rose pests like Aphids,..Thrips,..which are attracted to the Nitrogen and new growth. --------------------------------------------------- Organic Food. Organic Fertilizers: * Alfalfa Meal (2-7-0, 5-2-0) Well-balanced, slow release fertilizer * Blood Meal (13-2-0) Rapidly available nitrogen * Bone Meal (3-2-0.5) 24% calcium Rapidly available phosphorous; increased pH slightly * Compost Balanced, slow release, contains calcium and magnesium * Cottonseed Meal (8-2-2) Rapidly available nitrogen * Epsom Salts (0-0-0) Excellent source of magnesium sulfate * Fish Emulsion (5-2-2) Rapidly available nitrogen * Fish Meal (10-4-4) Rapidly available nitrogen * Kelp Meal (1-0.2-2) Slow release of potassium and micronutrients. Contains growth stimulates. * Manure (cow) (2-1-2.4) Compost all manures before using to prevent burning. Good source of sulfur, calcium, and micronutrients. * Manure (horse) (2-1-2.5) Compost all manures before using to prevent burning. Good source of sulfur, calcium, and micronutrients. * Manure (chicken) (4-3-1) Compost all manures before using to prevent burning. Good source of nitrogen. * Soybean Meal (6-1-2) Magnesium, micronutrients, and rapidly available nitrogen. * Sul-Pol-Mag (0-0-22) 19% sulfur; 10% magnesium. Do not use with dolomotic lime. Rapidly available potassium and magnesium.
Philip, that truly is a SUPER post! I've printed it out and put it in my gardening journal. Thank you for the information.
Thanks folks, i hope you will only need to look at the Organic Rose Food list,..and that Mildew,Black Spot and Rust stay off your roses.
