7 Tips on Preventing the 3 Most Common Rose Diseases

Roses are candy for the eye and nose. Before you plant your first rose know that you can prevent three of the most common types of diseases of roses. It's not hard to do, and with just a little care before planting and care afterwards for them, they'll be great looking roses growing in your yard.

Whether it's a climbing rose, hybrid tea, miniatures or Old Garden Roses, or any other variety, a little work is necessary to stop rose disease in its tracks. Preventative practices will make home look inviting and pleasing from the curbside, and it will save time and money too from buying new roses and digging out the old ones.

Types and Prevention of Rose Diseases:

One disease is a powdery mildew that can be easily viewed on the leaves of roses. It resembles the old type of chalkboard chalk from classrooms of yesterday. The infection can also be on the rose buds too, but it might not be at first as noticeable as on the leaves because of the greenery. It's caused by planting roses that are in over moist conditions, and poor circulation of air for the roses.

Treating the rose mildew is important because it can eventually kill the plant and spread to other ones too. To keep from getting the disease on the plants, prune regularly and don't let water stand for too long around it. If a rose area is around or under a tree, you might have to prune the trees or loose the roses. There are other things that are necessary to keep the roses disease free, and that's to constantly pick up any rose leaves and buds that fall to the ground, and dispose away from any plants in a sealed bag.

Another whopper of a disease for roses is rust. It's usually found first on the back of the oldest leaves, but it can be found too on younger leaves close to the ground. The appearance of it is a velvety orange brownish color, just like the new rust color on a vehicle. Rust can kill the plant because it does spread. Again, over watering and extremely damp conditions will leave the roses open for attack from this type of fungus.

Just like with the mildew disease on roses you can prevent the occurrence in the rose garden of rust on roses. To prevent rust disease on roses, proper watering techniques for the rose plants are crucial. Don't use a hard stream of water to splash up on the plants, or to puddle around it. Always water early in the summer when there is enough warmth in the air to properly dry the ground. Pruning is necessary too for the roses that you love.

The black spot is a disease of roses that can actually leave the entire branches and buds totally bare if it progresses. Tiny round black spots show up on the leaves, and slowly they fall off because of to damp conditions. Just like the other diseases for roses, water is the culprit. After enough time there will not be a rose petal or leaf left, so follow good placement, watering and pruning principals for roses.

Finally, there are sprays on the market that can help with preventative measures for all three, the mildew, rust, and the black spot. Make sure to buy an insecticide that has Metalaxyl-M because it is one of the few that really works. Most other spray treatment for roses with fungal infections don't work as well, especially if there has been an over use of chemicals in the phenylamide group for fungus control. It helps too get a rose that isn't as susceptible to all three, but caution is still needed.

Roses are beautiful, so know where to plant and how to care for them. One day they will be worth all the effort and the sweet smell of success will drift through the windows.

Sources:

www2.dpi.qld.gov

www.roses.yourinfosite.biz