Roses Over the Back Fence by aussigall
There is no denying the beauty of a rose. Do you have roses in your garden?
If you already have roses, or you feel that your garden could not be complete without them, then this post is for you.
If you are more interested in choosing rose plants, I have planned a post all about beautiful native roses. Stay tuned.
Rose Diseases
Roses are vulnerable to surprisingly few diseases. While the diseases don’t kill, they do look unsightly and need to be taken care of if you are to fully enjoy your roses.
The best organic rose disease protection is to choose resistant rose varieties. Beyond that, both pruning and mulching are effective ways to reduce disease. If these are not sufficient, there are some organic control products you can use. The major fungal diseases of roses are:
- blackspot – most severe in the eastern United States where the summers are warm and moist
- powdery mildew – becomes a problem where summers are cool and dry – particularly common in the coastal areas of the western USA
- rust – a major problem in the Pacific Northwest where summers are cool and humid
Both black spot and rust require wet foliage to take hold. Here are some things you can do to help keep your roses healthy, and free of fungal disease:
- plant roses in full sun
- plant 3 to 4 feet apart
- prune to make open centers
- avoid wetting the foliage during irrigation
New growth is the most vulnerable. If you need more than the above, take a look at least toxic fungicidal sprays for roses, which contain soaps and either copper or sulfur. Products to take a look at include Soap-Shield Flowable Liquid Copper Fungicide, Shield-All Broad Spectrum Fungicide (made from neem oil), or Sulfur-Guard Fungicide.
Rose Pests
The most common pests of rose plants are aphids and small caterpillars. Japanese beetles can also be problematic (the adults attack flowers and strip off leaves). Some effective forms of control are as follows:
- lady bugs and lacewings will keep down the aphid population, but they will not completely rid your garden of aphids – they are fun to watch, and make a great project for kids, even if they’re not 100% effective
- soaps such as Plant Guardian Insecticidal Soap are least-toxic spray controls for aphids and caterpillars when they can’t be easily removed by hand
- the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis is fatal to caterpillars and does not harm other insects (the caterpillar will be affected when it eats the bacterium)
- adult Japanese beetles can be removed by hand, or you can use pheromone beetle traps to attract and catch adults – counting the trapped beetles makes for a great science project for kids
- juvenile Japanese beetles live as grubs in lawn areas and can be treated with nematodes – a good way to reduce the population
For help in diagnosing rose pests and diseases visit this University of Minnesota extension page. There are some additional rose pests and diseases which may affect your roses – try the Olympia Rose Society pests and diseases page.
It’s worth noting that while pruning is a good treatment against some rose diseases, disease can also be spread through pruning (that last link explains the correct precautions to take).
Organic Fertilizer for Roses
Roses do require some fertilization. You want to avoid quick acting fertilizers which cause a lot of new growth and make your roses vulnerable to fungal disease.
Manure and mushroom compost are good organic fertilizers for your roses – here’s a short explanatory video on how to fertilize your roses with manure. If you don’t fancy using manure, take a look at Roses Alive!, which is an environmentally responsible fertilizer formulated specifically for roses.
I hope these organic rose gardening tips will help you to enjoy your roses and keep them looking beautiful. Do your roses have pest or disease troubles? What have you used to help them?
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Alison
Two of my climbing roses have been badly hit with rust this year again. We don’t have high humidity but we have cool summers and a lot of rain in comparison to you. I have tried organic spray but it is pretty bad. Do you think that I would be better giving up on these roses, digging them up and replanting in a few years?
Marion Anderson´s last blog ..How to Succed with Success
Marion, you raise a good question. Are your roses still blooming? Are the flowers disfigured? Personally I have a pretty high tolerance for foliage damage in my garden, provided a plant is fulfilling its primary purpose. Roses are all about looking nice, and I wouldn’t personally be happy with using a regular spraying program if practices such as pruning and end of year clean-up were not sufficient to give me the look I want.
First I’d make sure you are following recommended pruning, fall cleanup, and fertilization procedures (see some of the links above). If that is just too much work, or it doesn’t do the job to make your roses enjoyable, yes, I’d plant something else (either disease resistant varieties, or something native and better suited to your climate).
Hi Alison
I am still getting lovely blossom with a wonderful perfume. The leaves start out looking well if somewhat rust spotted and then they begin to look bad. I remove them at that point.
I have been really careful with cleaning up and pruning. It is a very old variety and I could remove but I does meet its purpose – lovely fragrance and beautiful flower. I am going to really work on the fertilization next season and see if that makes a difference
Thank you for your help
Marion Anderson´s last blog ..How to Succed with Success
Marion, it sounds like you have a plan. Also, a preventative fungicide program needs to begin as soon as leaves appear in spring. If you haven’t tried that, it could be worth a shot.
Hi Alison
You have some really beautiful photos of roses here. I have a long way to go before I could produce such wonderful examples so it’s nice to be able to see them close up on your site. My (late)Uncle Alan used to grow lovely roses in Melbourne, Aust. – he had rows and rows of roses – pardon the pun – and he loved them dearly. They must have loved him, too, because they bloomed so beautifully. Cheers, Jay.
Jay Verney´s last blog ..From Lead to Legacy- First Steps
Hi Jay, I’m glad you enjoyed the rose photos. I really enjoyed finding the images to share with you.
Thanks Alison
I will source an organic preventative fungicide over here.
You have given me new hope. It is a beautiful rose Madame Isaac Pereire it is an old Bourbon rose.
Marion
Marion Anderson´s last blog ..How to Succed with Success
Brilliant blog. Detailed and specific. Keep up with the nice work. Thanks for sharing!