Roses w/ white mildew, bud worms...blah blah help!
Sue
make a safer way to get rid of pests in your roses. Anyone know anything
about this? I bought a house with some very huge and lovely rose bushes
that I had to trim back. They grew wonderfully for a month or so and now
I'm having problems with a white powdery mildew, aphids, bud worms, jap
beetles...my goodness you name it, I probally got it. Is there a safe
non-toxic way to go about getting rid of these problems? I went out and
bought some Garden Safe Fungicide, but I really don't wanna have to use that
unless it's last resort. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Sue....
RoseManiac
wrote:
>I once read that you can use certain types of soap and dilute them down to
>make a safer way to get rid of pests in your roses. Anyone know anything
>about this?
Sure. I know it doesn't work. You are in California, aren't you?
>I bought a house with some very huge and lovely rose bushes
>that I had to trim back.
Why did you have to "trim" them?
>They grew wonderfully for a month or so and now
>I'm having problems with a white powdery mildew, aphids, bud worms, jap
>beetles...my goodness you name it, I probally got it.
And you are surprised? Have you considered talking to the ex-owners
about how they cared for the roses? They SPRAYED with insecticide AND
fungicide.
> Is there a safe
>non-toxic way to go about getting rid of these problems?
Sure. You can did up the bushes. Problem solved.
I went out and
>bought some Garden Safe Fungicide, but I really don't wanna have to use that
>unless it's last resort. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Fungicide will not solve your problems now. Roses need preventive
care. What kind of roses are they?
>
>Thanks
>Sue....
>
>
Sue
>
> Sure. I know it doesn't work. You are in California, aren't you?
I was just curious if it worked. I'm in Southern California.
> >I bought a house with some very huge and lovely rose bushes
> >that I had to trim back.
> Why did you have to "trim" them?
I bought the house as a foreclosure 3 months ago. The house had been
sitting empty for just about 8 months or so. Single Story house, the bushes
were just about to reach past rain gutters. They had not been watered and
were brown and dead. I cut them down short.
> Fungicide will not solve your problems now. Roses need preventive
> care. What kind of roses are they?
I don't know what kind they are. I was just hoping to save them from the
long period of not being watered and taken care of. The whole reason I am
looking to this newsgroup for some help.
Rodney Sweeney
can put orange peels at the base of the plants too cuz bugs hate citrus :)
--
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"Sue" <sassy...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5DL48.4485$Ab1.2...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
James Delahanty
Given the time of year that it is in Southern California, your best bet
might be to defoliate the plants, lightly prune out any dead or crossing
canes, and spray with a lime/sulfur dormant spray to catch the
overwintering rust spores and fungi. Roses are really tough plants
despite all of the controversy and they will respond well to some basic
TLC; after new growth appears, apply a basic fertilizer, and a decent
mulch (cedar not redwood). If you live near Santa Barbara, go to Island
Seed and Feed
and get the rose cocktail, a mixture of cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal,
kelp and other nutritious items and use it as a mulch after pruning and
the rest of it. Find a local rose society, take your blooms (when you
get them), and try to get the blooms (with foliage, please) identified.
Find out the location of your nearest rose society by going to the
American Rose Society website www.ars.org; they also have a list of
consulting rosarians who are located in your particular area and are
willing to be consulted either by e-mail, the telephone, or in some
cases, home visits. Good luck with your roses. If they have been
without basic water etc since last March or April, they are real
troupers indeed and deserve to be well treated. JD
Sue
the orange peels!
Thanks so much!
Sue
"Rodney Sweeney" <sui...@peoplepc.com> wrote in message
news:u57iehn...@corp.supernews.com...
Sue
news:9nX48.20343$ag5.1...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
>
>
> Given the time of year that it is in Southern California, your best bet
> might be to defoliate the plants, lightly prune out any dead or crossing
> canes, and spray with a lime/sulfur dormant spray to catch the
> overwintering rust spores and fungi. Roses are really tough plants
I just cut them back again, hoping I cut enough off to remove any of the
infected areas, but I will go look into some of that lime/sulfer spray.
> the rest of it. Find a local rose society, take your blooms (when you
> get them), and try to get the blooms (with foliage, please) identified.
> Find out the location of your nearest rose society by going to the
> American Rose Society website www.ars.org; they also have a list of
> consulting rosarians who are located in your particular area and are
I have some light purple roses, and I read that those colors tend to get
diseases much easier than than most colors. Those are the only ones I see
that have full leaves, no mildew and no worms. All my others (dark red,
pink, and bright red) seem to be affected. The yellow bush that I have
isn't as bad. But either way thank you so much for your information! Will
definately go look into this rose society and see what info I can get.
Thanks...
Sue...
lms
sassy...@hotmail.com says...
>
>Interesting, how much do you dilute the murphys oil, I'll defintely try out
>the orange peels!
The other night after I watched that show where people actually smell words
I got just the strongest smell of orange, very powerful, very fleeting, and
after a few furtive glances, I let it pass. And a few minutes later, samesame.
So after going around the room and sniffing everyone's butt, etc., there was
still no explanation for it. Finally the mystery was solved when I realized
I had been scratching Nander(tall)'s neck, which had been earlier that day
treated with that highly toxic flea and tick killer. I was totally disgusted,
I don't see why snotty little rose bugs wouldn't be equally so. and leave?
m
Bob Bauer
>the bushes
>were just about to reach past rain gutters. They had not been watered and
>were brown and dead. I cut them down short.
Unless the canes were already dead, you might have made a big mistake
here by cutting bushes that big down to short canes.
You could have upset the carbohydrate/nitrogen balance inside of the
plant and if so, it will take an extra year for the plants to recover
fully. This type of pruning shifts the balance of the plant over to
the carbohydrate side.
The result of this would be that your roses may develop lots of
foliage at the expense of blooms this season.
This happens in fruit trees too when people overprune. It leads to a
cycle of lots of foliage one year with little fruit and lots of fruit
the next year with less foliage. Same with roses and blooms.
If you have not finished your cutting back, you should take the
following advice. Ideally you should not remove more than 1/3 to 1/2
of the height of the plant at any one time in order not to upset the
carbohydrate/nitrogen balance.
I know that this lesser pruning violates the regular practices of
people who grow roses for rose shows, but keep in mind that they are
looking for something different than a healthy garden plant with lots
of blooms. They are actually TRYING to force the plant to produce
fewer and larger blooms.
Now all of that having been said, if the canes actually were already
dead, your rose will be in survival mode anyway. The best you can
expect this year is that they will partially recover and grow waist
high. It will also be more important this year to fertilize them
regularly and not ever allow them to dry out.
My two cents worth.
Bob Bauer
Zone 6 in Salt Lake City
Sue
> Unless the canes were already dead, you might have made a big mistake
> here by cutting bushes that big down to short canes.
I guess I didnt give enough information. But yes the canes were tall, thin
and black. I did not cut the tree more than half way. I'm 5'9" and the
branches reached just to about eye level. I moved the smaller dead branches
and alot of the dead black areas (where the stems were cut once before and
have now turned dark brown / black). I cut the back no more than halfway,
and I cut them at an angel just above the bud node which was in the right
direction I'd like them to grow. Alot of the bushes when I first moved had
black canes and mildew on them. So they were treated really poorly.
> The result of this would be that your roses may develop lots of
> foliage at the expense of blooms this season.
When I cut and watered them they budded quickly, I applied a little of that
ortho's fertilizer (looks like little grey balls) They bloomed well, nice
green shiny foilage and several fragrant blooms. On my of my bushes
however, a strange thing happened. The rose buds started to turn into a U
shape. Basically, they grew straight for a while, and then for some reason
they started to bend and grow downward into a U shape. I'm sure from being
neglected so long.
> My two cents worth.
>
> Bob Bauer
> Zone 6 in Salt Lake City
Thank you very much :)
Sue....
Bob Bauer
>The rose buds started to turn into a U
>shape. Basically, they grew straight for a while, and then for some reason
>they started to bend and grow downward into a U shape. I'm sure from being
>neglected so long.
This could possibly be due to the canes being thin and spindly. The
most common cause of this is that the rose doesn't get enough light.
6 hours of full direct sun is necessary for them to be truly happy.
Hope this information is helpful.
Have fun,
Bob Bauer
hels
"Bob Bauer" <bobb...@worldnet.att.net> schreef in bericht
news:ni0b5u4u8gic4pff6...@4ax.com...
> My two cents worth.
Say it: euro cents huh?
G
Bob Bauer
>> My two cents worth.
>
>Say it: euro cents huh?
Some euros don't make sense. <g>
Bob Bauer
(my two euro cents worth)
dave weil
<sassy...@REMOVEhotmail.com> wrote:
>Hey Bob....
>
>> Unless the canes were already dead, you might have made a big mistake
>> here by cutting bushes that big down to short canes.
>
>I guess I didnt give enough information. But yes the canes were tall, thin
>and black. I did not cut the tree more than half way. I'm 5'9" and the
>branches reached just to about eye level. I moved the smaller dead branches
>and alot of the dead black areas (where the stems were cut once before and
>have now turned dark brown / black). I cut the back no more than halfway,
>and I cut them at an angel just above the bud node which was in the right
>direction I'd like them to grow. Alot of the bushes when I first moved had
>black canes and mildew on them. So they were treated really poorly.
I thought that you said that they were almost to the gutters. That
would be a house with a pretty short roof <g>.
That's why Bob wrote what he did.
>> The result of this would be that your roses may develop lots of
>> foliage at the expense of blooms this season.
>
>When I cut and watered them they budded quickly, I applied a little of that
>ortho's fertilizer (looks like little grey balls) They bloomed well, nice
>green shiny foilage and several fragrant blooms. On my of my bushes
>however, a strange thing happened. The rose buds started to turn into a U
>shape. Basically, they grew straight for a while, and then for some reason
>they started to bend and grow downward into a U shape. I'm sure from being
>neglected so long.
I wouldn't woory *too* much about overpruning. As Bob says, this may
inhibit blooming this year but hard pruning *can* also help the plant
throw new canes from the base, as well as changing it from a spindly
plant to a bushier, healthier plant.
The main thing you want to do this spring after the last frost is to
prune out any dead wood and winter kill. You'll be able to tell this
wood pretty easily.
Your next step will be to identify the plants by going to your local
rose society. You'll have to wait until they bloom. Make sure to take
note of their first bloom and their habits of blooming (do they throw
one big blast of blooms or do they rebloom)? Make sure you note the
dates. Anitque Rose Emporium can also help identify certain roses.
Their web site is:
They will accept e-mail photos. Make sure you take a picture of the
leaves as well, not just the blooms.
Also, the best reference site on the net is:
http://www.helpmefind.com/sites/rrr/index.html
If you contact them, they might be able to help you, but I note that
the guy who keeps that site up is fairly busy. He's helped me once or
twice.
It's important to know what kind of rose each is because different
classes of roses have different growth patterns, as well as having
different blooming requirements. For instance, if you have a rose
species plant, they only bloom on the old wood and if you prune it
back before it blooms, you'll get very little bloom the next year.
Additionally, different shapes of plants require different pruning
techiques. If you want to see what I'm talking about, go to
And check out some of the listings. You'll find that, even in the same
general type of roses, you'll have substantially different growth
patterns. See here for an example:
http://www.vintagegardens.com/cgi-bin/class.pl?SRCH_CLASS=A&SHOW_CLASS=Y&id=10d6ad60c8bi
Go to the library and check out some rose bushes, checking to see if
they give pruning instructions. It will also teach you the correct way
to prune, which is important to prevent diseases and dieback. Sounds
like you have the right idea already thougn.
As far as the soap, you're thinking of Neem's Soap and Neem's Oil. I
don't have any experience with them myself.
One thing you might consider if you have a problem with Japanese
Beetles would be to apply some grub killer to your lawn this spring.
This won't eliminate them, but it will prevent grubs that were born
from last years' beetle infestation to come back as beetles.
Unfortunately, this doesn't help when they swoop in from other places
in your neighborhood, but it can't hurt to keep the population down.
The important thing, as someone (Bob?) said is to spray with
lime/sulphur while they're still pretty dormant. Also, make sure you
spray the ground around them as well, after clearing out any dead
leaves and branches. *Do not* put this stuff in your compost heap, if
you have one.
More two cents...
Sue
"dave weil" wrote in message
>
> I thought that you said that they were almost to the gutters. That
> would be a house with a pretty short roof <g>.
Yes the roses were just about gutter level, this is where much of the really
thin branches just reached. I had to go outside and look at the proportions
again. My rose bed is enclosed with a brick border, about 4 bricks high with
drain holes, so the bed is a bit raised. From the flower bed to the bottom
of the roof overhang is about 7 feet. When I stand on my flower bed and
raise my arms I can reach the end of the overhang from the roof with my
finger tips on tippy toes. The roses sit underneath the roof over hang
along the side of the walk way to front door near the stucco wall of the
house. I have a motion detector light in the front corner of my house and
the rose branches are able to smack that and often set it off. I had some
really thin branches that had grown and actually hit the bottom side of the
roof overhang. Either way, I've cut them down to about eye level for me.
So I would say I only cut off about 2 feet of branches. The bushes all
range from about 4-5 feet tall now, after pruning. I still have a few thin
branches, but I've been clearing that out slowly..they are mostly inside the
bush. So I'm airing out the middle of the bush.
Sue...
dave weil
Don't do any more pruning until after last frost. You're probably
going to have to prune a bit then as well. Let them lie until then.
Then do it all at the same time.