Besides growing blackspot resistant varieties, in my regular fungicide program (for the non-resistant ones; started early, right after pruning in March), I include a liquid seaweed preparation. This helps to increase the substance, and in some cases the size, of the leaves. I use Neptune's Harvest, ordered directly from the company.

Thanks Diane.

Do any of the big rose fertilizer companies include this in their product?

andrea

I use Monty's Joy Juice mixed with my fungicide treatments. But don't forget the water!

As Diane said, don't be fooled by just any "pretty face." Grow types resistant to the major diseases in your area. For instance, I need mildew and rust resistant types as those are my main issues as far as diseases go. If the ones you plant are as durable in your climate as possible, your issues are going to be fewer. Then, all you have to do is feed, prune and groom. Makes life a whole lot easier, cheaper and much more fun! Kim

Kim,

All I have ever purchased (maybe not the Austins) are DISEASE RESISTANT HTs. Woops, forgot about First Prize. Anyway, I tried. But I think that I have only had BS and it hasn't really been as bad as I believe it can get. It hasn't de-foliated an entire plant.

But I think I will try the liquid seaweed or Joy juice as a spray.

Thanks all,

Andrea

A good location with plenty of light and good air circulation helps a lot--the exhibition roses in the center of our front yard are doing extremely well, while the ones in worse locations have had some BS issues due to inadequate fungicide application.

I can confirm what Diane said about seaweed in the spray. I don't know that it helps with disease issues, though.

You can't trust general catalog claims or HMF claims of disease resistance. What diseases? Where?

Michael,

This is the photo of my poor little leaves that you requested. What do you think? Is it BS or something else?

andrea

andrea--please be aware that "disease-resistant hybrid teas" is a misleading phrase. HTs are, as a group, probably the least resistant to disease. It would probably be more accurate to say "somewhat disease-resistant" or "better than average" (knowing the HT "average" is rather low) or a qualified phrase like "fairly good disease resistance." There are relatively few HTs that would be rated "very disease-resistant" not to mention "excellent disease-resistance.

My Berolina HT might qualify for having "very good" disease resistance (so far--it is still relatively new). None of my other HTs can make that strong a claim although I have several that are "fairly good."

Kate

Andreak, where on the plant are these leaves? They look like just old, "I'm done and tired of working" leaves. Not diseased.

Kate and Diane,

Most of the yellow and dark leaves are from the middll interior or lower. I don't think that any of them are from the top or outside of the bushes. Does BS 'strike' all over the plant?

andrea

As has been mentioned, "disease resistant" is as relative and location specific as "heat". If you're fortunate enough to live where disease pressures are lower, many roses will likely be sufficiently "disease resistant" to perform quite well for you without spraying. If you live where that pressure is high, the sample of sufficiently "disease resistant" types is going to be significantly smaller. There are places here where sprays are virtually never needed, but they have their own other issues. There are also places where the only thing you're going to be able to grow without sprays are weeds. Not a judgement, it's just the way things are.

I hope the leaves you showed are older, lower and inside the plant. They do look "tired", like senile foliage which outlived its usefulness to the plant. They turn yellow because the plant reabsorbs the chlorophyll from them to reuse it to produce new growth. It's very much why foliage on deciduous trees and other deciduous plants turn "autumn colors". As long as physical damage and disease issues aren't involved, most plants don't waste anything. All resources are recycled repeatedly to assist in new growth, and reproduction. If the foliage is too greatly shaded by other plants, or the plant itself, it can't get enough light, so the sap is drawn from the leaves, they turn yellow (sometimes contracting diseases or being attacked by bugs) and fall. As long as those types remain inside the plant where they likely didn't get enough light, or toward the bottom where they would be expected to be older (earlier growth) and/or received insufficient light, that's completely normal and to be expected. In climates with actual "heavy rain", Nature helps by knocking them off. Here, where the rains just aren't happening, we have to knock them off, physically or with the hose.

If the new foliage begins looking like what you've pictured, then there are problems! As long as the new growth appears as you expect it to, and the plant continues producing new growth, usually things are OK. Kim

Thanks Kim. Several others have suggested that the leaves don't really look like BS. And they are all correct when they ask if they come from the interior or bottom of the plant. I asked earlier if BS ever hits top or exterior leaves. If it does, I guess my babies don't have it.

Thanks,

andrea

Yes, I answered on the other thread, and I also think they are just senile leaves.

Blackspot usually moves gradually up the canes. Leaves have the characteristic fringed spots for around two weeks before they begin turning yellow.

In severe situations, severe cases, with particularly susceptible types, black spot can hit all over the bush. But, that usually isn't the case with most infections. I've raised a few seedlings which black spotted so badly, all the time, most died before I got to hack them to death. But, as Micheal and others have suggested, your foliage doesn't seem to follow the expected appearance nor pattern. I don't think they indicate anything for you to worry about. Kim

Smooches and Hugs from the birthday girl, (well maybe not GIRL)

andrea

As others have said many times, "location, location, location". This year I have more bs in my garden than I normally see because of a longer, wetter spring and cooler summer temps.

All of my hybrid teas are showing very little bs, but some of my other roses look absolutely horrid.

I generally have no disease pressure during the summer months, this year has been an exception. In other words, some years are worse for bs than others.

Smiles,
Lyn

Happy birthday! Kim

Kim,

Your Birthday salutation was just under the wire.

Thank you so much,

andrea

You're welcome! Now, go to bed! LOL! Kim

Not trying to hijack this thread, but

Can I say how amazing rose plants can be? Our Neptune's had all the old large top growth scorch in the past two weeks with all the heat. Those leaves look horrible, but the new fresh leaves look fantastic (on the plant at the same time). Interesting that the plant had those old leaves there as shade and now that it is cooling some, they are falling and yet more fresh new growth is peaking out from where the burnt leaves once lived.

We too frequently forget the leaves also provide shade from excess hot sun. I wonder how beautiful that new growth might have been had you not left the scorched ones there to protect them? Kim

Kim, I would think that new growth would look a tad crispy :)

Kippy and Kim,

I (obviously) have removed scorched leaves too quickly. In future, I will leave them there until the Hot goes away.

Thanks,

andrea

Hijacking my own thread!!

I just want to tell Kim that he was right (natch) about listening to your plants. I have one rose in the raised bed that needs a LOT more water than the rest in the same bed. It's not just the individual rose (Brandy) because I have another in another bed and it is normal.

The raised bed was put there because after cutting out a portion of my patio, we found a major root from one of my very large trees..An arborist that I've used said that putting soil on top of the root and planting roses there wouldn't hurt the tree. My thought about this Brandy needing more water is that maybe she is sitting where the tree is taking more water from that section.

Have a wonderfully rosey weekend,

andrea

That could be why, Andrea. It could also be the imported soil isn't as uniform as the ground. If your raised Brandy is sitting on less compacted soil or sandier soil, it's going to suffer from perhaps too fast drainage or less water holding capacity than the other, in ground plant does. I have that specific issue all over here due to the danged moles. Where they don't go, the soil holds moisture and the surrounding plants are OK. Where the evidence of their activity is greatest, I might was well be growing those plants in pure sand. They complain like crazy! Trying to figure out why some things work and others don't, can be a real "fun" job, huh? Thanks. Kim