Talkback: Growing roses - rose diseases - Talkback

30/05/2011 at 09:54

Even on a drizzly day like today I go out in the garden and inspect my roses and take off and dispose of any leaves with blackspot on. I've never needed to spray in this garden for the 47 years I have been growing roses. My "Albertine","Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother", "Matisse", "Iceberg" and Bourbon roses are making a splendid, fragrant display as well as the ramblers I do not know the name of as they were in the garden when I came. But my favourites are the early ones, "Canary Bird" and the Banksian rose which never seem to have any disease.

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31/05/2011 at 10:18

On one of my rose bushes, white foam-like stuff appears. It will wash away when I water the bush, but will reappear somewhere else on the bush the following day. Can anyone tell me what this may be, and what I should do, if anything? Thank-you. The rosebush otherwise looks really healthy and it is at present flowering more than it has done in previous years.

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31/05/2011 at 11:12

This is called cuckoo spit, lijemc, and , apart from being a little unsightly, will not harm your rose. Inside each froth you will find a tiny nymph which is immature. The adults live on the bush but do no harm. You are doing the right thing by washing the spit away.

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31/05/2011 at 14:54

Reply to lijemc: Yes, happymarion is right. The tiny green nymph inside the cuckoo spit is the immature stage of an insect called the froghopper – getting its name because the adult jumps away like a frog if you try and touch it. Some people call this white froth 'spittle-bug'. This insect doesn't really do any harm, although any insect feeding on plant sap can introduce virus disease. You can simply rub them away between your fingers, or blast off with a jet of soapy water. A hedge of lavender near my home is covered with them, but within a month them will have gone.

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31/05/2011 at 14:56

Check this link to a BBC information site for more details about Cuckoo Spit and Froghoppers: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A812828

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31/05/2011 at 15:01

Thank-you Happymarion and Adam, that's reassured me.

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01/06/2011 at 17:37

my fatsia plant is infested with ants what has caused this and how can i make it better. leaves are not looking good either.

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02/06/2011 at 21:48

For the last couple of years two of three roses (no idea how old - I inherited them when we moved here 4 years ago) planted in a clump on my clay soil have grown pale pinky yellow, spindly mis-shapen growth in the spring and the flower buds that form are immature and do not develop properly, opening to small, mis-shapen and blackened-tipped flowers. They remind me a little of the twisted growth I sometimes get on my blackcurrants. I have fed the borders and mulched with manure and last year cut off the twisted growth to no avail. I have many other roses growing without any problems in the garden. Any ideas what I am doing wrong?

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02/06/2011 at 21:53

Hi Denise, could it be that the ants are feeding on aphids that are on your fatsia? If you deal with the aphids (I use watred down washing up liquid in a spray gun) you may get rid of the ants. Of course, you then need to think about what has attracted the aphids - over feeding with nitrogen can cause lush green growth attractive to sap-suckers, perhaps it is not in the best position so is not doing as well as it could thus more susceptible to disease/infestation?

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03/06/2011 at 19:27

We inherited some rose bushes in our garden and all of them have blackspot. I have tried spraying them early in the season and removing infected leaves but i just cant get on top of it. Should i just give up on them and buy new? My garden is very damp no matter what the weather. So i dont really want to buy new ones if they are going to go the same way/

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03/06/2011 at 20:50

2 years ago I started spraying my roses with a sulphur powder purchased online. You mix it with water & spray monthly on the plants & on the ground. My roses are noticeably healthier with little or no blackspot whereas previously by July they were almost bare of leaves.

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03/06/2011 at 22:09

I have planted a rose stem couple of months ago and there are no leaves growing. When a branch does form from the stem it appears like it has been over watered ie mouldy brown. I have not been over watering the roses. The four other rose stems I bought at the same time have developed more than sufficient amount of leaves. The rose next to it which I bought last year as black spots. Is this inhibiting my new rose stem from growing or is it something else?

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04/06/2011 at 10:19

I seem to have a great deal of cuckoo spit in my garden, especially this year. Really enjoyed the aricle about them.

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04/06/2011 at 11:41

I want to plant my very large bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) in the ground but, don't want it to run. Can anyone tell me how successful it will be and also how to go about doing this, please. It is in a pot at the moment. Do I remove the bottom of the pot and just leave the sides of the pot intact to contain the roots or leave the whole pot intact before sinking it into the ground?

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04/06/2011 at 16:17

I understand that black spot on roses can be avoided by applying sulphur to the bushes. Are there are the any chemical brands that have sulphur in them already? If not how can I treat the roses with sulphur? Also are you bale to tell me how to get rid of the speedwells in the lawn, with two dry seasons they are starting to take over. Hope to hear from you Many thanks

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08/06/2011 at 17:28

hi can someone please tell me in what order i must do in looking after my lawn. i want to scarify my lawn and treat it with moss killer, weeds ect so what order is it all done many thanks peter

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09/06/2011 at 17:19

I have a choyser(may be spelt wrong) which I have cut in the past and branches die off now. I have another one which I have not cut,and would like advice on when and how much it is advisable to cut back

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04/07/2011 at 09:55

I have a 3 feet high miniature standard rose - when bought 3 years ago it was full of flowers - last year it was only half full of flowers - this year I have had only 4 flowers - what am I doing wrong

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02/09/2011 at 17:54

Hello experts, I was in the landscape maintenance business for 16 years and moved on to be a Paramedic 5 years ago. I recently had an old client call asking for me to identify an issue with his rose. Having been away and having never seen this I thought I'd try to find out. This has shown up on 3 plants (traditional variety) within 40' of a slow moving river and nowhere else that I'm aware. This "thing" shows up anywhere along the stem (cut or not). It is the size of a lemon and looks like a fuzzy pom pom. it is a light green and will dry up at the end of the season, stay brown and dry for years. This is in Bend Oregon in August. Have been looking for pictures but can't find any. If I get back there I'll post one. Thanks for any help.

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28/11/2011 at 18:43

What is causing my poppy "Pattys Plum"s keaves to yellow,turn brown and sgrivel.Unsightly