Rose Garden - Diseases, Symptoms And Treatments

Rose diseases and fungi can really destroy your garden. It can be heartbreaking to see all of your beautiful plants and flowers destroyed by a seemingly meaningless disease or fungus. Roses can become weaker during the colder months and they are more susceptible to diseases once the warm months start again.

Although they might not get infected in winter, they are weaker and can fall prey to diseases that abound due to the humidity of the warmer seasons. In this way, the roses might contact a fungal infection that destroys them, despite all of your best efforts.

There are a number of common diseases you might encounter with your roses:

Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is a fungus. As its name suggests, a white powder is produced along the stems as well as on both sides of the leaves. If you neglect to see to the mildew, the rose will not mature fully as the leaves will drop off.

Rust

Rust on roses looks just like rust on metal will. It is seen on the underside of the leaves and it contaminates other plants.

Blackspot

Hybrid teas are completely resistant to blackspot, but other roses have been known to get it. If there are circular black spots on the leaves of the plant that are 1/16 to ½ inch in diameter, you might have the disease. Take action on the disease immediately before it has the chance to ruin the plant's foliage.

Rose Mosaic

Unlike most of the rose diseases that are fungi, the Rose Mosaic disease is a virus. The signs of this disease have mosaic patterns of green and yellow that are discolored.

The only way to stop this from spreading throughout your garden is to remove the plant entirely. You must also clear all clippings and leaves of the diseased plant to make sure it doesn't contaminate other plants. If the disease cannot be contained by yourself, seek professional aid and get commercial solutions that can help.

How can you avoid giving your plants these diseases? There are a few things you can do. Always water the soil around the rose and not the rose itself. Do take care not to let dead leaves pile up underneath, so clear the beds of roses often. Snip off the stricken blooms and discard them immediately. Prune regularly. Close all cuts in the plant with Elmer's glue. Giving your rose nutrients often will make them stronger and less susceptible to diseases.

Finally, you can choose disease-resistant roses whenever possible to avoid the problem in the first place. Having plants that are naturally resistant to diseases and fungi will help your other plants as well since you will not be harboring any potential problems and threats in your garden.


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Moses Wright loves to help fellow rose gardening enthusiast whenever he is available. You can find more free resources on rose diseases and symptoms and AARS - All-American Rose Selections on his site.