kelissa
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I can't figure out what is going on with my Rose bushes!!

I am having difficulty figuring out what is going on with my rose bushes!! There seem to be several problems all at once, and I hoping it is from the same source and one that is curable.

- leaves are curing up
- spots along the stems - they are brown with a little shine to them and are almost scab like. they are more like "lines" then "spots"
- blacking along the veins in the leaves
- yellowing of leaves
- some leaves have a purple hue to them
- on the back of some leaves there are the same brown shiny lines to them

I don't see any infestation of bugs. I planted garlic/thyme around the rose bushes to help keep the aphids away. It has been raining lately, but this problem has been going on for months - even in the heat of summer. I keep trimming back the infected leaves/stems, but soon there will be nothing left. It seems even my hearty knock outs are beginning to show signs now too.

I have looked hours on end on the internet to try to figure this out.. and nothing!! Please help! I am so frustrated!
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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I don't know what the conditions you described might mean, but I see black spot fungal disease on the yellowed leaf and some signs of rose slug or rose leaf miner (lines of white/thinner areas in the leaves).

Dried up curling leaves could be powdery mildew....

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

Tell us where you are, what your climate is like, and what conditions for the rose bushes are -- are they in full sun (more than 6 hrs a day), have you been fertilizing them, have you been spraying them with anything? etc

kelissa
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I live in Houston, TX. It is in zone 10. I have not sprayed or fertilized since the beginning of the summer when I had an infestation of aphids. During the summer it was hot and dry. I tried to water weekly, but honestly I know I wasn't on top of it like I should of been. In the last month we have had a lot of rain and the temp has cooled off quite a bit. The curling of the leaves are not just on my roses, but on my citrus plants as well. I hope this helps. Let me know if you need anymore info.


Thank you!
Sorry for any gramatical errors, sent from my phone

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rainbowgardener
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OK... what I said about full sun is for my climate. In your climate roses benefit from some afternoon shade.

Applestar gave you some good suggestions about what might be going on. The healthier you can keep your roses, the less vulnerable they are to diseases and insects. Sounds like yours were drought stressed and maybe nutrient stressed, since not fertilized. So therefore everything that came along got them.

I don't grow roses myself, because they take a lot of care, if they aren't going to end up like yours. Start with regular deep watering. Once a week, maybe twice in your hot dry climate, but don't water the leaves, water the soil until it puddles. Let it drain and do it two more times. By the third time the ground should be getting saturated and the water should drain very slowly. If it is still draining fast, keep doing it.

Here's an article about growing winning roses in zone 10:

https://www.zone10.com/how-to-grow-winning-roses.html

Note the author exhibits roses at rose shows. So this is very rigorous care. If you don't care about prize winning roses, you don't have to be this careful. But it shows you what the ideal care is like for perfect roses.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Brown spots in a line might be brown scale.

https://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/p ... c2107.html

Leaves with a purple hue, can be sunburn or it could be a phosphorus deficiency. Roses are heavy feeders.

Apple gave you some good suggestions.

I would also cut back as much of the diseased stuff as possible and treat for the pests. I use systemic rose care. It works for 6 weeks and protects the roses from the common ailments like black spot and sucking pests. Bayer tree and shrub will also work, but it will be active for about a year. Tree and shrub contains merit which is harmful to bees so I have backed off on using it on my roses. I also have a scale that is pesticide resistant so I am just using mechanical methods a brush and soapy water followed by a good rinse.

Feed the roses with a liquid fertilizer Miracle grow for acid loving plants will give it a quick boost and hopefully it can put on some new growth. I would also use a slow release fertilizer around the plants. I use either nutracote or osmocote. Osmocote releases faster when temps are above 80 degrees so use half as much as expect to apply it every three months (for the 6 mo. release) Nutracote is not temperature sensitive but costs more. The type 200 will last all year. Apply as directed.

Roses need good air circulation and should have enough space so that it does not touch another plant and be a couple of feet from a solid wall. They should be pruned to a vase shape regularly. It will also impove the blooms. When the humidity is high especially after a rain it is best to use a fungicide every three days after it rains to get a handle on fungal problems before they get bad. Roses with glossy leaves resist mildew better than roses with matte leaves. In cooler weather (temps under 80 degrees, you can use neem oil or horticultural oil as a preventive, the leaves will shed water better in the rainy season.

Roses should be bottom watered. A drip system and mulch helps control splashing onto the leaves.

kelissa
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Thank you for all the info. I have already cut back all the disease and put down some sulfur. I will definitely fertilize them this week along with finding something to treat for pests. This is my third year to grow roses, but first year in having so many. I absolutely love roses and don't mind the extra care. Next summer I will make sure to work harder. I am so glad to have found this forum... I was stressing out over them.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Sometimes it helps to pick cultivars that are more bulletproof especially for beginners. Landcape and ground cover roses I find pretty bullet proof. I have baby blanket. It does not grow tall but spreads. I have it in my back yard. Some are in pots, some have escaped. It roots easily. It is covered with small pink roses that are good for making haku leis. It really grows wild, I just cut it back. I don't spray there because I don't use systemic or very much pesticides around my vegetable garden.
I have a miniature red rose that is a rambler. It also grows wild. I bought it as a miniature rose at Walmart so it did not have a name. It is pretty much a weed with up to 12 ft long canes rambling over and between my citrus trees. I always end up with battle scars between the thorns from the roses and the thorns from the citrus.
https://parkseed.com/rose-baby-blanket-pp8872/p/28181/

In my front yard, I grow tea roses, and I have an English rose called Gertrude Jekyll. The shrub rose called red simplicity has been there for over twenty years pretty much lives despite the neglect. I have a green rose, which is also pretty tough but the scale will go after it. The tea roses for the most part live between 2-10 years. The longest living ones are Iceberg, which is also at the top of the rating at 9. Peace, Queen Elizabeth, Chicago Peace, Mr. Lincoln, and First Prize. I got a new rose Robert Strauss, but I don't think that one is a keeper, it has a lot of issues with black spot so may be too fussy for my relatively wet location. Roses with glossy leaves do better and when I look for replacement roses, I look at color and form but I usually only buy ones with glossy leaves.

kelissa
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I started off with two knockouts, and with little to no maintenance they just took off. The next year (last year) I invested in little bit better roses and purchased a blue girl and another rose bush to the death of me I can not think of it's name. Both of those did quite well, but I will admit blue girl is very finicky. When I take care of one problem with it, a new one starts up. The other rose bush is a beautiful hot pink flower with 50+ petals and a fragrance to die for. This year as a gift from my husband, he paid someone to come out and build a rose garden for me. So for a few weeks I poured over books/internet to find some of the most beautiful roses that have the highest rating I could find with my requirements for the type of roses I enjoy looking at and that would be suitable for my zone. Here is ultimately what I got
Centennial
My Girl
Belinda's Dream
Queen Elizabeth
Wild Ginger - didn't make it-
Seminole Wind

Here is a picture of my rose garden the beginning of spring. Now the rose bushes are much fuller, except blue girl. I feel like if I keep trimming her back because of disease, there won't be any leaves left... that will kill it, right??
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imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

The blue and lavender roses like Sterling silver, angel face, and those cultivars were never strong plants for me, but I really liked Sterling silver so I kept trying. They lived about three years and that was it. But it was wonderful when I had it. I don't spend as much time on my roses as I should. Your yard is in pretty good shape and the roses look like they are spaced fine.

I have learned the hard way not to plant anything except vandas, and cereus against a wall. They are the only things that don't mind a hot hollow tile wall that heats up the plants and casts shadows for half a day. I had creeping fig, it would do fine on the wall too, but what it is too aggressive to keep in control and it is hard to kill. Every other kind of plant I had will grow sideways and lean away from the wall to get away from the heat and get more light. On a chain link fence, my orchids are happy but they bloom on my neighbors side so they get to see it more than I do.

I plant my roses in my front yard along the driveway, that slopes slightly to the street. I live in a relatively humid area, as the mildew under the house eaves will attest to, so it helps to plant them in the open in full sun and exposed to the breezes and spaced so the roses don't touch.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Ultimately, growing cultivars that are resistant to diseases that your garden tends to suffer is the least frustrating and heartbreaking way to build your collection.

Research and don't just go by "disease resistant" but look for specifics like "black spot resistant," "powdery mildew resistant," etc.

One preventative I can recommend -- In spring/early summer, just before humid/muggy weather starts BEFORE you start seeing black spot, etc. signs of disease, begin spraying once a week with 10-20% milk and water solution. It really helps and is harmless unless you are allergic to milk.

kelissa
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Thanks for all of the help. I really want my rose garden to be at it's best and will do whatever it takes!



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