It helps, but I still had to spray. It's also got fertilizer and insecticide in it, so if you just want disease prevention, you are better off with the spray.

I don't think it's good for the soil in the long run, so I don't use it.

It absolutely works on blackspot, BUT it will kill all the lady bugs, butterflies, and bees, and it may harm birds, fish, and humans. It also has fertilizer in it so you cannot control how much you fertilize the roses. I don't use it anymore.

The spray fungicide is the lesser of two evils. I don't want to use anything, but all my roses would die if I didn't. It doesn't seem to hurt the insects in the yard at all.

I use just the disease control, but I was under the impression that the systemic in the 3-in-1 only kills sucking/eating insects. Therefore I don't see how it could affect ladybugs, butterflies (except as caterpillers), or bees. I do believe that it would kill any beneficial insects that were EATING your roses (and for that matter, other plants that absorbed it), but I don't think there are any of those. :0)

Other than the systemic nature of the product, here is my issue with the product. You still need a spray fungicide in addition to the Bayer Advanced All-In-One. Why? BA All-In-One (I'm assuming that this is the one you mean, BA 3-in-one is a different product)takes 6 weeks to become effective. Blackspot is always present, and you need to start treatment early in the season. You cannot wait until you see it to start treatment. So, you would need to apply a spray fungicide in the 6-week period while you are waiting for BA All-In-One to become initially effective.

Also, if you have a lot of roses, BA All-In-One gets to be very expensive to use.

I'm glad I returned mine after reading the comments on a particular thread on the OGR forum, unopened, and got credit. I did buy Orthonex and a sprayer but am delaying with that.

I saw my first red ladybug on a daisy, a bright spot in a bad day fighting beetles, can't remember seeing any for a long time but have seen more of the imported orange ones; not too many of those the last few years. I killed enough worms tilling and digging, and certainly don't want to hurt the birds, bees, butterflies and others who do no harm or are predators to the ones causing problems.

I'm just fearful that I'll end up feeling from the talk here about what people use who do spray (I don't know what for what or how often without reading the container, googling, or here for user experiences, and can't count on mfr claims).

I'm wondering if the overall health of the rose or less than optimal sunlight and soil conditions might make them more suseptible to some things.

Maybe there's something about my yard/neighborhood. I rooted a couple of roses, one did have a little mildew on part of the plant, took the cutting from an unaffected part, but the other plant that I took cuttings from had almost perfect leaves and was in almost the worst possible growing conditions. I give it really a good chance to grow, it has really taken off, but the leaves are a mess by now. I wonder why and sure hate to spray a once bloomer but may have to do that.

I have a couple that seem ok and may not ever need spraying.

Aliska -- You're on the right track.
When it comes to disease, all roses are not created equal.

Some will always be more disease-resistant than others.
If you don't want to use chemical controls, your mission is to determine
which roses do not require them.
At the very least you will cut down on the need for chemical intervention.
===============

RoseNutty -- When you apply a systemic pesticide, the material goes all through the plant.
It is even in the pollen.
When bees pick up that "tainted" pollen, and take it home to the nest,
it affects young developing bees.
Aside from that, newly-applied spray material affects any beneficial insects which contact it.
The stuff IS, after all, intended to kill insects.
It can't differentiate between "good and bad" bugs.

Everyone makes his or her own choice about spray materials.
But there is NO EXCUSE for using materials without first being very sure what they do.

For every one of these products, there are chemical information pages on the Internet.
Google the active ingredients.
Find out what they do.
Then make an informed decision.

Jeri

rose nutty, yes it is aimed at chewing/sucking insects, but other insects visit the plants and can be affected. Plus you pour it into the ground and there are insects in there that harmed. I used it for two years, but gave it up last year. If you have a lot of roses, it's actually very expensive and a lot of work to use every 6 weeks, and as Jeri said, you will still have to spray.

I've been just spraying for two years and that works well. And I don't notice more aphids or other bugs. I did have thrips, but I had them last year while using the Bayer 3-1.

If you are solely concerned with blackspot, then the Bayer spray is excellent and you will never have to worry about blackspot.

Thank you, Jeri, for your wise advice. I will only spray the worst ones, and may not break it out this year but get right on it next for the ones that seem more suseptible which I have now identified two years in a row. Most of the damage is already done, and they do put out new growth after the worst is over which stays healthier the rest of the season.

One other thing to consider, Aliska.

If only a small % of your roses are consistently troubled by fungal problems,
consider removing those specific roses, and replacing them with resistant varieties.

In the long haul, that substitution can save you years of expense and work.

Jeri

for me it does not work. I tried using it last year...terrible BS. This year I only use the spray, no bs at all.

Buford, you spoke of "spraying for two years." Is that with some Bayer spray, and what is it called? Is it just a fungicide?

And, also, Sunnishine, you said "This year I only use the spray," so what spray are you referring to?

I bought a bottle of Bayer 3-in-1, have been very reluctant to use it and haven't opened it and now I think I won't. I only have a small garden, 18 rose bushes, 8 of them minis, but all are affected by disease or insects in some way: powdery mildew, leaf hoppers, thrips, and possibly spider mites. I read on the Bayer bottle not to use it when bees are active, and so I called them and they said if I spray it in the evening when the bees aren't active, it will be dry easily by morning and then won't hurt the bees. Just propaganda?

Marlene

if I spray it in the evening when the bees aren't active, it will be dry easily
by morning and then won't hurt the bees. Just propaganda?

*** Probably close to accurate.

Jeri

I, like many others it seems, used it for a year, but ultimately it proved to be too expensive and not effective enough for the cost. I now simply spray every two weeks and my roses stay completely fungus free.

My spray program is pretty easy, proves effective for me, and my roses seem to appreciate it. I use a combination of Infuse and Mancozeb, in addition to some fish emulsion or liquid seaweed, sometimes both, along with an adjuvant/spreader/sticker. (Indicate-5)

I only have 25 roses (so far ; >) ) and 1/2 gallon of the above mix is more than enough for my garden. My roses stay completely fungus free and the foliage really seems to benefit from the additional foliar feedings every two weeks. Not to mention being a bit more insect friendly.

I still do use insecticides on occasion, but only for targetted/spot treatment when the need arises.

Yes, I use the Bayer advanced disease control spray. I do it every 3 weeks or so starting when the plants leaf out. I usually stop when the roses go dormant, although one winter it stayed warm and I had blackspot galore. So now I'm planning on spraying a couple of times during the winter.

The 3-1 is not a spray, it's an emulsion that you mix with water and then pour around the base of the plant. You aren't supposed to spray it,although there was a poster here who did it once. Bayer makes many products so it gets confusing. Here are links to the bottle labels:
All in one drench

Disease Control Spray

Actually I now see this product that I've never seen before, maybe this is the one you have...

3-n-1-Insect/Disease control

So now I'm confused!

I suspect they intend that you should be confused.

In effect:
Disease-Control Spray would be used for fungal disease,
Insect/Disease contains an insecticide.

If you have fungal disease problems, but no particular insect problems, DO NOT USE AN INSECTICIDE.

And, again, before putting anything into your garden, please read the label information.
Be sure you understand completely what you are using,
how it should be used,
what it is supposed to do, and
whether the side-effects are acceptable to you.

Jeri

jerijen, sound advice as usual and thank you. The problem is that every single one of them has one thing or another. Even some BS if it doesn't kill or seriously weaken the rose, I can put up with. Same with some others if they survive our winters and have pretty blooms whether they repeat often or seldom, have enough other color in those front beds now.

This is only the 2nd year for all of them, first year for 11 of them. They've all had something, so right now it's a wait and see approach and just risk even losing some without spray. Plus I had to hold them in 5 gal buckets 3 wks last year from the deep freeze which didn't happen this year. Chronic nuisances I will replace.

My two Charlotte, don't seem troubled by much of anything yet so far even with severe winter dieback with no protection but what mulch was left; those are the most susecptible to JB's but there are a couple others but a few they don't bother at all even with the traps drawing them. The jury is still out on those, too. Overall I think they may be helping, but haven't seen anything yet like some horrid photos I saw on the internet, can't see myself ever spraying for those.

Two I suspect the main problem might be is that both are planted either side of a french drain and may have done some disburbance digging and installing that, or they are just weaker for some other reason or both, or it may just be too damp there for those two. But they are doing better this year compared to last.

None in the shadiest plot on the east side except Veil is doing worth a darn, Thomas Affleck and 2 Gruss an Aachen, but they're own root and slower, and Thomas too big for there, not yet. An seriously considering digging those out regardless if they don't do better by next year, and don't seem particularly disease-prone except maybe some BS.

I am willing to part with some of them, but not certain ones except as a last resort with, hopefully, no or very conservative spraying; i.e., if they don't have the blooms totally ruined, at this point if it continues, I have to do something. Like Evelyn which is very robust, would hate to part with her, and my once-bloomers which would be impossible to replace at this point because I don't even know for sure what they are. Nobody does.

Don't want the whole yard full of Harison, but mine finally really took off and is little troubled by anything except possibly severe drought and possibly a little mildew, can't remember.

So far, the ones with the shiny leaves seem more resistant, but problems with them, too, and one does have a little BS, Pat Austin, which I love and had some pretty blooms this year.

I'm still too inexperienced to know what is going to work best. Sorry it's so long, hard to explain, and seem to have some similar problems compared to others but totally unique problems than anybody else here. A once-bloomer I rooted over the winter I thought was a goner, poor soil (can fix that partly) and shadier than I'd like, friend walking by said it looks like those are dying. Since I saw they were rootbound and had plenty of roots, I decided to leave them be and kept watering them. Now one has put out a healthy basal or sucker, some new, healthy growth on each, hope they put out enough for the new growth and canes to survive and get a fresh start next year.

I don't even know for sure what they are. Nobody does.

*** Well, shoot. Those are my favorite roses!
The ones, I mean, that just get along, and have for a long time,
and who CARES what they are!
Can you do photos?
Maybe you can get 'em identified.
Is there a public rose garden anywhere near you?
That might give you a step toward what roses will do well without a lot of hassle?

And, look. If you have to spray -- well, spray.
Just be sure you know what the problem is, and what spray material will help it.
Be sure that you know what you're spraying with, and what it's gonna do.
That's a place to start.

Jeri

I've had negative results on at least (6) roses to-date from the drench. Five (youngish) plants have died and the other plants have been hindered in growth for about a year or so.

I don't use it on roses anymore, though I do use it on other shrubs.

New gardeners always seem to make two mistakes. One, under watering and two, fertilizing and disease control with first year plants. Plants need to establish and good root system before they can take any changes to the soil environment.