I am having such a hard time with the rose bushes I have. I have many which the previous owners had and from the size of the branches, then look many years old. But in the last couple of years, the condition of some of them deterioted so much that I had to cut down 2 of them today. I cut them down so much that they are just about 4 inches and only stumps right now. Not sure if they will grow anymore. This one, I had pruned heavily last year and is still green so I want to find out what I can do to save it. It had such lovely pink flowers a couple of years back but since last year, the roses/buds looks diseased. This is the bud that the plant has currently. What should I do to save this bush? ( photo / image / picture from Tina's Garden )
Tina, Your rose looks like it has black spot, which is a fungal disease you need to spray for. Otherwise it will just struggle instead of thriving. The flower, if it doesn't open and you have others in the same condition may be thrips, which require an insecticide, but they are very hard to treat as they continually come form other plants and keep reinfesting your rose. The best solution would be a systemic insecticide, which, as soon as they start to feed on the plant, they die. Just don't use the roses for food garnishes or to consume. I know Bayer makes one for roses ( I don't remember what it is called), just look for it at the garden fertilizer dept of a nursery type place.. It comes in a blue plastic jug that is a flower fertilizer and a systemic(may be labeled as nuprid or imiclodiprid as the active ingredient) at the same time. Worth a try if nothing else seems to be helping., but do spray a fungicide on your roses, too.
