I have Blck Spot on many of my roses. Some of the Stems on most are bare. I live in N'E. Ohio. What should I d

Question

I have Hybrid Teas, Floribounda and a Climber. I'm really new at this. Had many beatles this summer. What about pruning at this time. I'm in Zone 5. Thank you.

Answer 1

Well, the best advice I can give at this point is to remove all the infected leaves and clean up any fallen leaves and mulch around the area. Throw the debris away, do not compost it because the fungus will continue to live and grow in a compost pile. Add new mulch and spray your rose with a fungicide like Ortho Rose Defense weekly until first freeze.
Go ahead and Autumn prune your roses, however, don't prune the climber unless there are some dead or dying canes. I've included some instructions for pruning.
Next season start treating for blackspot as soon as you see it. Sometimes just picking the leaves off will stop the fungus, but most of the time you will need to use a fungicide. A helpful hint is to make sure that when you water your roses do it very early in the morning and only at the base of the rose. Roses hate to get wet and that is how molds and fungus get them.

General Pruning:
You do this to remove any dead or dying canes or spent flowers. You need to pick a set of five leaves, but not necessarily the first set. Pick a set of five that are pointing outward because that will be the direction of a new cane and flowers. If you choose one pointing inward then your canes can cross and will cause other problems. Cut the cane at an angle like this (/) about 1/4" above the five leaf set. It is okay to do this with each cane and especially if the cane is dying. It is also okay to do this throughout the growing season because it promotes new growth. Also, it is important to seal any pruned cane the size of a pencil or larger with white glue to protect the wound and promote faster healing.

Autumn Pruning:
Any time between the first freeze of Autumn and the last freeze of winter you can seriously prune your rose down to about 2 feet. This will create a fuller, lusher plant for the new season. Once again you will want to cut at an angle. However, instead of cutting above a five leaf set, this time you will want to cut right above a node which will resemble a small, reddish, slightly pointed bump on the cane. Like the five leaf set, make sure the node is pointing outward.

http://www.bayeradvanced.com/article/how-to-prune-hybrid-tea-roses.html?source=google
Video from Expert Village on how to prune a rose:
http://homegarden.expertvillage.com/videos/deadheading-roses.htm

Good Luck

Answer 2

Black spot is a fungal disease that is either airbourne or is tranfered by insects going from plant to plant. To treat the blackspot You need to spray the roses every 2 weeks with a fungacide. I use roseclear because this also contains an insectacide. Roseclear protects against blackspot, rust, mildew and aphids. It can also be used on other ornamental plants but not edible plants. Any spray that is left over should be sprayed on the ground to kill off the dormant spores that are there.

Prunning.
For most climbers it is just a case of tidying up after winter to remove any frost damaged tips. Do not cut back hard.
If they are ramblers then you need to check what variety you have as these are prunned differently.

Hybrid tea's and floribundas are normally cut back hard in spring. They can be cut back by half at the end of Autumn to avoid wind damage or wind rock during winter, but if they are in a sheltered spot then leave well alone until Spring. When you cut back roses in late Autumn you can get die back which could kill off the plant. A good indication when to prune is when the buds start to swell on the plant. Cut back to 3 or 4 buds with the top bud outward facing from the plant. Don't worry if you cut back too hard they will grow back.

When the leaves have dropped off your plants you can water over the plants a product called Armillatox. This chemical kills off black spot spores that are on the plant and any spores that are on the ground. It will also prevent die back.

Putting down a very light application of sulphur chips will also help against blackspot.

Finally if you do not like the idea of chemicals they do say that planting chives in between your roses will reduce the severity of a blackspot attack, and lavender will keep the aphids at bay.
Good luck with your roses and I hope I have helped you.

Answer 3

You have received excellent advice so far. The only thing I can add is that you should spray your roses with a fungicide just BEFORE they start to come into leaf.
The spores are dormant in the soil for the winter, they become active again when it starts to warm up again.
The spores 'explode' and land on the shrubs ready for when the leaves start to emerge. The chives theory probably works by helping to prevent the spores from landing on the roses. They also look very nice under the roses.

You will never completely eradicate Black Spot so if it is a serious problem in your garden I would suggest that you replace your roses with resistant varieties. If you do this you will have to change the soil if you intend to replant a rose in the same area in order to prevent soil sickness.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0205/replant.asp

Answer 4

Black Spots on Roses
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One of the more common problems with roses is the black spot disease - Diplocarpon rosae. It is a fungus that can seriously damage or kill your rose plant. The spots are dark and have 'feathery' edges. Usually the lower leaves are first afflicted, followed with higher and higher leaves.

This fungus flourishes in wet conditions and is most likely to strike if your roses are living in very humid conditions. Also, roses that are low to the ground or crowded together tend to keep in moisture and succumb to the fungus.

There are many fungicides out on the market to control black spot - look in your local garden store for some labelled with this fungus. Also, keep your roses in sunny locations and do not soak them with water. If they have become crowded, thin them out to let the air in to the leaves and dry them out.