Gardening Tips for Treating Black Spot on Roses

If you have beautiful rose bushes marred by ugly black spots on the leaves, your rose bush is infected with black spot disease. These common fungus spots occur in humid conditions and are highly infectious. Once rose leaves begin to show signs of black spot disease, the fungus can easily spread throughout the rose bush, even marring the stem with reddish purple fungus spots. Luckily black spots on roses can be easily prevented, controlled and treated with a few simple gardening tips.

Controlling Black Spot on Roses

Prevent fungus spots altogether by watering your roses close to the ground, avoiding watering the leaves or petals. In addition, avoid watering your rose bush in the late afternoon, when the moisture on the leaves and stem will fail to dry in the cool night air.

During the rainy season, remove any rose leaves that show black spots, then clear the ground of any fallen leaves marred with fungus spots. Remember that black spot disease spreads fast, so removal of contaminated leaves will keep the fungus from affecting other leaves on your rose bush.

Homemade Black Spot Control Treatments

You can prevent fungus spots on roses by altering the PH level on leaves. To create this natural homemade fungicide mix 2 teaspoons of baking soda with a gallon of water, then add a drop of bleach free dish soap. The soap will prevent the baking soda from slipping off the leaves. When you spray the rose leaves, be sure to spray both sides, to prevent fungus spots from starting on the back of the rose leaves. (See references: Gardening Knowhow).

Natural Fungicide Black Spot Control

If you wish to avoid strong chemicals in your garden, treat your roses with natural fungicides that will cure and control black spot disease. Products like Rose Fungicide by Garlic GP, or Garden Safe Fungicide by Spectrum use non-toxic agents to kill the fungus on rose leaves, as well as prevent reappearance of the fungus spots if the leaves are sprayed lightly on a regular basis.

How Often Should You Spray Roses with Fungicides

During the rainy season, check your rose bushes regularly for any signs of black spot disease. Spray the rose bush every week or after a strong rain, to prevent black spots from starting. If you see black spots already, be sure to prune off those leaves and remove any fallen leaves from the ground. Then use a store-bought fungicide to kill the fungus before its spreads to the entire rose bush.

Affordable Fungicides

You can find affordable fungicides at the garden center of your local home improvement store. Most will attach to your garden hose, permitting you to simply spray your roses as if you are watering them. It's an easy way to treat black spot on roses without too much effort.

Untreated Black Spot on Roses

Bear in mind that leaving black spot untreated on roses may cause your rose bush to lose all its leaves. In addition, as the fungus spots spread, the rose leaves will turn yellow and the black spots will grow larger and more noticeable. Unless you apply fungicide to stop the fungus spots from doing further damage, your rose bush could become an eyesore.

References:

1. Inventive Home Improvement: Create Your Own Rose Garden.

2. Rose Magazine: Black Spot on Roses.

3. Gardening Knowhow: Treating Black Spot on Roses.