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sharon2079

Using insecticidealternative question

11 years ago

Several people on this forum are against using insecticide and have suggested squirting the rose with a hose. However, I have also read that one should not get the leaves of a rose wet when watering. How does this work. Doesn't getting the leaves wet cause fungus problems. So are you trading an insect problem for a fungus problem?

How much water can you squirt on the leaves? Does it really not cause a fungus problem..... Also what about the chorline in the water. I am on city water and have no control as to what chemicals they put in the water.... does the chlorine hurt the leaves?

I live in South Florida and it is very hot a humid. I an starting to get blackspot and also having an outbreak of insecticides. I am hoping to get some good suggestions with my alternatives.

I have

Medallion - my favorite rose

Fragrant Cloud - my husband's favorite rose

Sheila's Perfume

Intrigue

Double Delight

Kordes Perfecta- looks like a stick- maybe one or two leaves on it. It certainly isn't perfect(a) in my garden.

Granada- almost a stick - but fairing slighly better

JFK- This was very blackspot prone last year, but better this year..... don't know why he is different

Abraham Darby- which I expected to have blackspot, but so far so good.... but I would like to prevent an outbreak.

Buff Beauty So far good

Double Delight- Is having some kind of problem. His limbs coming out of his basal are dark.... no flowers, but the leaves look ok.

Blue For You- So far good

Dark Desire- So far so good

Koko Loco- a little bit of blackspot- not too bad, but would like to nip it in the bud

Sharifa Asman- Also one of my very favorites, but he is in decline. He seems to die back .... I cut off the dieback and then I have more die back. He is getting shorter and shorter and not putting out any new growth. (Unfortunately I don't have a camera) He does not seem to have any leaf problems. I don't see any blackspot. I have looked for insects. Can't find any. His leaves don't have any holes, but they don't seem nice and supple or pliable like other roses.

Right next to him I have Cecile Brunner- Something is working on her. Something is eating the buds, but not the leaves.

Quietness- Another favorite. I just the way it smells. But she has weird problems. She has leaf cutting bees that makes her looks like swiss cheese, but only on part of the plant. Then I have a cane that looks in decline. I don't know if it has a cane borer or maybe canker. Then on the other 3rd part of this plant her leaves look really strange. Think triangle. Each of the leafs as a big brown triangle inside of a yellow triangle. The triangle covers about 1/3 of the leaf. - I am afraid I might loose this plant and I just love it too much.


Then my last three roses are some kind of red rose, a yellow rose and Tiffany. These roses aren't being bothered by fungus, but they are being attacked by some kind of insect. I have tried to look to see if is spider mites, or chili thripes. My eyes aren't very good. What can I do for these.

I know it would be better with pictures, but if anybody can help me I would truly appreciate it. Thanks so very much.





Thanks in advance.

Comments (7)

  • 11 years ago

    If you water your roses late in the day so they go into the night with wet foliage, this increases the possibility of fungal diseases occurring. But if you water early in the day so they have time to dry off, no problem. Unfortunately there are some people out there that just hear the part>>>>> "wet foliage, this increases the possibility of fungal diseases" <<<<<so they tell you not to get the foliage wet.

  • 11 years ago

    Leaf-Cutter bees are great pollinators. Important insects. Do NOT kill them.

    They will make those perfect "zircles" <G> when they are building their nests. Then they will stop doing it. Don't worry about them. Enjoy them -- they're really fun to observe.

    They tend to build nests in old rotting wood, or in the cut ends of large canes. Seal your pruning cuts, get rid of old fallen wood, and you remove those as a potential nest site, and they will go elsewhere.

    Areas where insect pests are causing damage . . . We can't guess what you are seeing, without a visual reference. Sorry. Likewise, cannot tell you what the problems are with Quietness, without seeing it. A wrong guess would just give you incorrect information. Sorry.

    A rose that blackspotted in its first year, and does not a year later, may now be mature enough to fight off the disease. (Or, it might do it later, as conditions change.)


  • 11 years ago

    For blackspot to germinate, leaves must remain wet for around eight hours at moderate temperatures. In summer it will spread following an evening shower or sprinkling followed by overnight wetting.

    The hose won't cure every insect problem==mainly aphids in early spring and spider mites in hot dry weather which you don't have much in Florida.


  • 11 years ago

    For the ones "attacked by some kind of insect" please describe the damage that you are seeing, and where on the plant the damage is occurring.

  • 11 years ago

    The ones being attached - one I know is the leaf cutter bee..... I don't care too much about the leaves, but I think he may have bore into a cane, but down low... like he found some kind of opeing instead of up at the top where I normally put wood glue on it. This cane seems do be yellowish towards the bottom. But on top it is green... but not thriving like the rest of the plant.

    On the others that are attack- the leaves on the top of the plant - the newer growth is turning brown and crispy. Then after a few days, because I didn't use insecticide, the next set of leaves are starting to look crinckled. Not wilty, but wrinkled. I would assume something is sucking the moisture out of the leaves, but I can't see anything. I took a magnifying glass out there, but my eyes aren't what they use to be.... and they weren't very good to begin with.


  • 11 years ago

    What you describe as brown and crinkly new growth could be normal new growth. Often the unfolding leaves are brownish, yellowish, or reddish.

    If you have a yellowing cane that is not supporting vigorous new growth, ut may need to be taken out--but I would wait a couple of weeks if you are not very familiar with how roses grow.

  • 11 years ago

    Here is some information on leaf-cutter bees:
    http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05576.html

    If something is tunneling into a cane further down, I suspect it is not a leaf cutter bee, but something else.

    If you don't have a camera, do you by chance have a flat-bed scanner? Or access to one? Because you can put a leaf or leaves in one and scan it for a good quality image.

    Failing that, I suggest that you take leaves to a good local nursery, and ask them about them. (Not a Home Depot or Lowes. A real nursery.) Failing THAT, see if there is a local rose society.


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