catnipper
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2012 1:37 pm
Location: North Idaho

Roses over run with lots of problems.

These roses are old and were very well taken care for, but I know nada about them. My sister says the have leaf hoppers, mildew, and possibly other diseases. I have seen the leaf hoppers, boy are there a lot. The leaves are pale and some have a white powdery substance on them. I was told by the local feed and grain the I could use 50/50 vinegar and water to combat both. Is this true? I see a lot of soapy water and neem oil posts. Do I need to cut the roses back to help with this? So confused. We have dogs so I am careful of what I use in the yards. I has rained nonstop here for weeks. We are all flooding around here so I know this doesn't help but I cant do anything about mother nature. There is like 15 roses here. I battle stray cats too. Love em in the house to cuddle with but NOT in the garden. Getting better with that. Pickle juice poured along the edges of their entry points. Any help would be nice. Thanks and HAPPY GARDENING!

cynthia_h
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7500
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 7:02 pm
Location: El Cerrito, CA

There isn't going to be much you can do right now while the rain continues, except to rake up any fallen leaves/twigs.

Sorry 'bout that.

But do NOT spray vinegar on foliage, unless you're trying to kill it; vinegar is a known herbicide (killer of plants). We recommend it here as a weed killer fairly often.

The soap spray is useful against soft-bodied insects *on contact*, but if the rain washes it off immediately, I don't know that the soap will have enough time to smother the insects' spiracles. When it does stop raining, be sure to wet the tops and bottoms of the leaves where you see insects--there are usually lots of insects under the leaves! (sneaky beasts....)

The mildew (powdery mildew?) needs sunlight and air for you to combat it. We recommend a couple of sprays here, one based on baking soda and the other on milk, to combat powdery mildew. Again, you'll need to wait until the rains stop or at least let up for a time.

And...I know it may be tempting, but do not strip the leaves off of the plants. The leaves are the mechanism by which plants manufacture their own food via photosynthesis, and losing more than one-third of the leaves jeopardizes the health of the plant.

Sorry to deliver such bad news, but as soon as the rains stop, you'll be ready!

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

catnipper
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2012 1:37 pm
Location: North Idaho

Thanks for the information. At least I know where to start. Darn rain anyways. Love the free watering but not all the problems.



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