Hello ajj1001! I apologize for not getting right back to you but my server has been down since yesterday morning!!
Thanks for the kind words Grey and Kevin - I try to help where I can.
So - It sounds to me like you have some very long neglected roses on your hands! Grey is correct, if it is possible for you to post some photos, it would be very helpful. But we'll go with what we have. Do you know what type of roses they are? Shrub, Tea, etc?
You are on the right track by first removing the dead wood from your bushes. And you are okay removing any foliage that has been damaged by disease or pests. Do not add any of these to your compost, but destroy them, as they still have the spores of whatever is ailing your roses, and will spread.
What makes you think that it is a fungus that you have? Can you describe it? Sometimes we can specifically identify it and treat it more exactly.
In the meantime though, Kevin is right, if you give a spray with Neem Oil spray, it should help. You could also try a milk spray - one part low fat milk to nine parts water - spray on several times over the next couple of weeks. This will help your roses keep away any other nasties!
As far as fertilizer, I would be cautious at this time giving any "instant" fertilizer, especially one high in nitrogen. We are heading into the fall, the time when our roses are supposed to be slowing down and going into dormancy. If you give your roses a shot of fast acting fertilizer, you will be encouraging it to grow, which is not what you want right now.
Not knowing where you are from, or what your climate is, I am not sure how much of a dormancy you will see.
What I would suggest you do is dig some bone meal, compost, well rotted manure, leaf mould, some epsom salts, and some fish emulsion into the soil around each of your roses and mulch them with more compost, leaf mould, etc. This is a much better, longer solution for your rose's health, as you are feeding the soil, not just the bush. The instant fertilizers give your bush a nice flush of growth, but then is gone. Adding nutrients to your soil keeps what the rose needs to be healthy there all the time.
When watering, you could give them a dose of compost or manure tea, the recipe for these are both in the organic rose care thread in the Rose Forum, or in the Organic Forum.
I hope this helps you, and feel free to ask any more questions you have - I love saving the poor roses that have struggled and are still hanging in there trying to show their beauty!
VAL
