Dying roses?
Question:I live in Oklahoma city and my rose bushes are dying due to all the flooding we have been having. The leaves have all turned yellow and have black spots on them. Is there anything I can do to bring them back to life or have they had it??
Answers:
the problem sounds more like black spot, a common rose malady.
it's really important for you to remove all the leaves that are spotted, including the ones that have fallen off and landed elsewhere.
destroy them. don't compost them as the fungus in them will not die die during the composting process.
you can treat the roses in a number of ways. they include everything from a baking soda and water mixture spray or soak to sulphur fungicides.
the most important things you can do to prevent black spot is: never water from overhead (if possible) but rather water the ground around the bush, keeping the leaves as dry as possible. and, remove the bottom 1 foot of leaves so any water that splashes down will not splash from the ground onto those bottom leaves.
this is such a common problem with roses. buying disease resistant varieties and cultivars helps but there's a good reason why roses are often so labour intensive. you work hard for those heavenly flowers.
here's a very good bit of info from the university of maine. it contains a very comprehensive list of solutions to the black spot issue:
http://pmo.umext.maine.edu/factsht/spotr...
if none of this makes you feel better, maybe this will: you are not alone! even the most accomplished gardeners battle with this black spot fungus and it IS treatable and it is not fatal to your plant.
first thing, remove all dropped leaves COMPLETELY from beneath the roses, the infected leaves have blackspot and by leaving them beneath the roses, you are constantly infecting your roses with disease.Then after removing all the infected leaves, put a good 3-4 inch mulch beneath the roses, maybe a eucalyptus mulch or a pine mulch.This will help with the moisture problem and eucalyptus is a great bug deterrent.Next mix some baking soda with some white vinegar and a couple drops of dishwashing soap with water into a spray bottle.Spray both the top and bottoms of all the leaves.Cut all bad or old canes down and make sure the middle of the bushes are ventilated to help dry it out, by thinning the canes down to 3-5 main ones on the rose bushes. Then start a good heavy feeding regiment to bring back the life in the rose bushes, don't give up on them and when they come back to life they will reward you with beutifull blooms.Feed them organically with cottonseed meal, bone meal and soft rock phosphate and alfalfa and fish wastes from aquariums.
you need to completely remove infected leaves and throw them away including any on the ground. There are powders and sprays to treat the black spot and mold. I would imagine there are natural remedies as well but if your plants are that damaged I would get the big guns to stop it before you lose your roses I love mine and they are so expensive!!. Ortho has a good line of rose products for prevention and maintenance good luck
I am not an expert on roses by any means, but my mom had roses for years. Once black spot got on them it was almost impossible to salvage them for the rest of the year. I think the only thing I could recommend if more rain is in the works, is to put them in containers with adequate drainage. Good Luck.
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