Rose Garden - Diseases, Symptoms And Treatments Articles | Garden Information Center

The beauty of your roses can be easily overcome by diseases and fungi. As roses are more delicate when it is cold, they are more likely to fall to diseases when the seasons turn warmer.

Even if they get through winter relatively unscathed, their weaker immune systems will be more open to the heat and humidity that the spring rains and summer heat bring. So, your roses could still be afflicted with fungus although you have done all you could.

You will probably find some common types of illnesses associated 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 do not treat the mildew right away, the rose will not reach its full potential and the leaves will start to die and fall off the plant.

Rust

Rust on roses looks just like rust on metal will. It appears on the underside of the leaves and quickly spreads to other parts of the plant as well.

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. Treat the disease right away to avoid destroying your 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.

You can only stop the spread of disease completely by removing the plant. You must also clear all clippings and leaves of the diseased plant to make sure it doesn't contaminate other plants. If you cannot stop the effects of this disease, you will need to bring in professional help and ask about commercial treatments that will solve the problem.

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.

And you should know that you can opt to grow disease-resistant roses if possible to prevent the problems from arising. If you grown plants that are resistant to diseases and fungus, there is less threat of promoting threats to your plants.