Rose Of Sharon. help please

[shaddy]

My Rose of Sharon is in it's second year and started the season great however last week when I went to water I found the tops of all the branches covered looking a Smokey Gray/black covered with what I think is aphids. I used a spray and it seemed to be getting better but now it is covered again. Someone told me to cut off all the tips that are infected (would be most of them) I am just learning and not sure what I should do. Any and all advice welcome.

 

[Chuck]

My Rose of Sharon is in it's second year and started the season great however last week when I went to water I found the tops of all the branches covered looking a Smokey Gray/black covered with what I think is aphids. I used a spray and it seemed to be getting better but now it is covered again. Someone told me to cut off all the tips that are infected (would be most of them) I am just learning and not sure what I should do. Any and all advice welcome.

Send pics

 

[Beth_B]

Ditto pictures.
Also is it an indoor or outdoor plant and where do you live?

 

[LIcenter]

Are you sure it's a rose of Sharon? Never heard of aphids attacking a woody plant like a RoS. Maybe you have some type of tropical Hibiscus?

 

[shaddy]

I live in southwest idaho. I was told and the picture tag said it was a rose of Sharon. Last year I got a few beautiful purple flowers. It is an outside plant.

 

[Chuck]

View attachment 12648 View attachment 12647 View attachment 12647 View attachment 12648 I live in southwest idaho. I was told and the picture tag said it was a rose of Sharon. Last year I got a few beautiful purple flowers. It is an outside plant.

I can't tell from the pic exactly what they are but the plant is covered up with either mealy bugs or soft scale as is clearly shown in the next to last photo. I didn't see any good bud pictures but if they are turning brown google botrytis and see if that is occurring too. Spray with neem oil for the insects and copper spray for the botrytis fungus

 

[shaddy]

Thank you, I looked up botrytis and I don't think that is there but it is Hard to tell. So far it has not started budding out. Should I cut off and get rid of the badly affected ends?

 

[Chuck]

Thank you, I looked up botrytis and I don't think that is there but it is Hard to tell. So far it has not started budding out. Should I cut off and get rid of the badly affected ends?

Get rid of the insects first and see how badly damaged the tips are.

 

[shaddy]

Will do thanks !

 

[Esther Knapicius]

try spraying with Lemon Joy and water also. start there . if that does not work. then dusting stuff for roses I would go to next. BTW, order some Lady bugs, they eat little bugs like that.

 

[LillyBelle]

I think I would cut it as far down as the damage has been done and see if new sprouts come back out. My Mom has had RoS for years and we had to cut them back a couple of times and they always come back stronger and more beautiful. RoS also multiply like crazy so you will most likely have twice as many next year even if they do not do so well this year.

 

[shaddy]

I think I would cut it as far down as the damage has been done and see if new sprouts come back out. My Mom has had RoS for years and we had to cut them back a couple of times and they always come back stronger and more beautiful. RoS also multiply like crazy so you will most likely have twice as many next year even if they do not do so well this year.

I didn't know that a Rose S. Multiply. Does it have offshoots from the original plant or will it pop up away from the original plant like some of the ones that drop seeds? It is looking better now but I have decided to cut some off because of the damage that was done.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I didn't know that a Rose S. Multiply. Does it have offshoots from the original plant or will it pop up away from the original plant like some of the ones that drop seeds? It is looking better now but I have decided to cut some off because of the damage that was done.

OH, MY yes, they multiply. they make babies. drop seeds and next year there are more coming up.

 

[TKP665]

My Rose of Sharon is in it's second year and started the season great however last week when I went to water I found the tops of all the branches covered looking a Smokey Gray/black covered with what I think is aphids. I used a spray and it seemed to be getting better but now it is covered again. Someone told me to cut off all the tips that are infected (would be most of them) I am just learning and not sure what I should do. Any and all advice welcome.

Definitely aphids, they certainly attack Rose of Sharon (aka Althea, a type of hibiscus). They go for the flower buds, mostly but also the tender new growth. Best is to spray insecticidal soap on them or spray them off with a hose; you have to keep at it every morning. One year they destroyed almost all the buds on my RoS. You don't need to cut anything off, although if they've ruined the bud, you may as well.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

BTW, we have a ROS archway in our garden area. they are tied together at the tops, with a pathway in the middle.