Those Darn Pests...

Joined
Mar 27, 2019
Messages
54
Reaction score
23
Country
United States
Hello, Fellow Gardeners,

To my dismay, something ate the leaves off of my two rose bushes. I found a worm of some sorts on a stem of one rose bush, but that all. I sprayed both bushes with neem oil, but now I'm wondering if I should just cut them back so they can start all over. I would appreciate your advice.
 

Attachments

  • Rose (Peach).jpg
    Rose (Peach).jpg
    262.5 KB · Views: 59
  • Rose (Peach)2.jpg
    Rose (Peach)2.jpg
    362.1 KB · Views: 54
  • Rosy Red.jpg
    Rosy Red.jpg
    431.8 KB · Views: 51
  • Rosy Red2.jpg
    Rosy Red2.jpg
    404.9 KB · Views: 51
Joined
Sep 11, 2020
Messages
54
Reaction score
18
Location
Hurst, Texas, U. S.
Hardiness Zone
8a
Country
United States
It is usually more effective to correctly identify the pest first before spraying, as some products like neem may not be useful when applied to certain pests. Luckily, some caterpillars stay "on" for a while to eat leaves and then leave. But you have to be ready for them next year and start applying counter measures about a month before the problem happened this year. Try Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) on caterpillars but try to post pictures of them or take a sample to a local plant nursery. During the day, some pests hide on the bottom of leaves or other parts of the rose or even fall down and hide under rocks/plant debris.
 
Joined
Mar 27, 2019
Messages
54
Reaction score
23
Country
United States
Thank you, Luis_pr. Do you think I should prune them back and let new growth begin?
 
Joined
Mar 22, 2017
Messages
3,980
Reaction score
3,064
Location
Kent
Country
United Kingdom
You don`t have to just plant things and leave them. Your roses have not been cared for. They have black spot, and they have not been weeded. It may be a good idea to either get a book on roses, or at least learn about their needs before planning any more.

Black spot is a fungal disease (Diplocarpon rosae) that affects roses. The fungus develops as black spots on the leaves, which eventually causes the leaves to turn yellow and drop off. Besides looking unsightly, it can seriously weaken the rose plant.
1623421310958.png
 
Joined
Sep 11, 2020
Messages
54
Reaction score
18
Location
Hurst, Texas, U. S.
Hardiness Zone
8a
Country
United States
No, I would not prune. There is no need to prune, especially so close to summer. They should grow some more new foliage as long as it does not get too hot and they have not been weakened too much. If the weather is inclement, they may delay leafing out and bloominguntil temperatures recede. You also need to pick up all plant debris & keep the grass and weeds away. The rocks will not help deter the weeds ;o)

For information on Black Spot, see the American Rose Society's article titled: A Guide To Rose Diseases And Their Management. Click below and then click where it says "click here to view .pdf":

 
Last edited:

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
26,584
Messages
256,562
Members
13,256
Latest member
corncob

Latest Threads

Top