Thorn injuries

[reneeleann]

Hello fellow gardeners. I have many roses ranging between first year in the ground to 4 years in the ground. I have Hybrid-Teas and Knockouts. They are by far my favorite plant but they also cause me some painful injuries. The problem I have is that if I get pricked by a thorn it takes months to go away. The larger the thorn the longer it takes to heal. They do not get infected (I have had a recent tetanus) but instead they get inflamed and are painful when touched. The spot were the thorn penetrated stays raised after it closes but I have many that are still raised and painful when pressure is applied and it has been 4 or 5 months. I went to the doctor on one and no thorn was found and his RX was to wait and it would go away.

Just curious if any other rose lovers have similar problems and if anyone knows why this happens and how I can accelerate the healing process.

[applestar]

I haven't had the kind of injury you describe from rose thorns, but I have found common plantain leaf (yes the weed) chewed up with mint and plastered onto stings from wasps as well as ants and mosquitoes to be highly effective in soothing the pain as well as reducing the blistered swelling and subsequent allergic reaction.

[cynthia_h]

If your doctor is blowing you off--and it sounds like that to me--print out an article from a medical website (pick one; they'll all say the same thing. just make sure it's not Wikipedia) on [url=https://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/feb2003.html]sporothrix schenckii[/url].

It is a fungus, not a bacterium. It is potentially serious. It abounds on rose thorns, blackberry thorns, and a few other plants.

Also: wash up after working with roses using Tecnu and/or Zanfel. I gave some [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=214872#214872]very thorough advice[/url] here about a week ago to a member with contact dermatitis, and these two commercial products play a part.

Gotta go eat dinner. Will come back later and supply these links.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[reneeleann]

Thank you everyone. The posts are so helpful. I will make an appointment with an allergist to have that checked. I will also look up the other information to learn more about that. I have a few pairs of gloves but they are cloth. I am going to the home improvement store for some heavier duty one.