Rifis,

In a nutshell, I don't have a special spraying program, just about what the instructions on the bottle say to do is what I do.

I try to maintain an every two week schedule, and generally would give myself a grade of an A- in being successful.

Both the Bayer Complete Insect Killer and a fungicide, either the Spectricide Immunox or the Bayer Fungicide for Roses, flowers, and Shrubs, are combined in one spray, insecticide and fungicide together with no conflicting interactions between them. I still spray for fungus because of some much loved, workhorse HT bloomers I have kept after the overhaul of my bed to fungus resistant/highly resistant roses. By far the worst of the fungi is black spot, for which I have very little tolerance.

The insecticide is added because of: aphids, cabbage butterfly caterpillars, rose slug, and of course, Rose Midge Fly. I am not bothered by Japanese Beetles to any great degree. Less than 5 beetles total can be counted all beetle season long. Of this I am very grateful....the advantage of living in a very old, Italian neighborhood with postage stamp gardens and abbreviated to absent grass lawns, which Japanese beetles favor for proliferating.

My three year old Scott's Lithium Battery Sprayer has, in spite of this Scott's sprayer's many design faults (they can be worked around and lived with), makes spraying far less arduous.

The seemingly never-ending battle with the Rose Midge Fly has come to a surprising, but much appreciated stop in 2025. I have not had one damaged growing tip this 2025 season, not one. The midge had hopefully died out over 2024/25 winter season. It's hard to believe, knowing how chronically persistent they have been for as long as I can remember. I don't believe my insecticide inclusion in my spray mix is responsible, because every single year as far back as I can remember, faithful midge spraying was only 90% effective. Damaged tips after every spray still were found then. Divine intervention deserves the credit. I am so very grateful. There's nothing more gratifying than seeing every rose growth made on a bush that wants to bloom, finish in a bloom.

When a bottle of a fungicide runs out, either the Bayer or Spectracide product, whichever is being used at the time, I switch to the other until the bottle of that one runs out. This cycle continues ad infinitum. That way I always am using fresh product, and also hopefully throw the fungi off their assumed resistance development.

Immunox has a nasty smell, but it seems only 2 days long on the sprayed roses, then it's gone. Bayer appears to be very low odor, if at all. This is all by my old disfunctioning nose.

Spraying starts in spring when new growth is up about 2 inches. It continues until October. I am done spraying for the year at this time.

Hope this helps you, Rifis.

Moses.