Yellow/orange speckling on rose leaves: early signs of rose rust

Rose rust

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Sunday, 5 May 2019 at 2:35 pm

Find out how to deal with rose rust in this short guide.

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The fungal spores that cause rust are spread on the wind, and they can survive over winter on the soil surface, on fallen debris and even objects such as fences and stakes. The symptoms spread in early summer from patches of orange on the stems and leaf stalks of roses to more obvious orange speckling on the leaves. This can lead to leaf fall. In late summer, look out for black pustules on the leaves. Learn more about rust and hollyhock rust.

Symptoms

Orange speckling on rose leaves in early summer, sometimes causing the leaves to drop, is followed by black pustules on the leaves in late summer. By autumn it's almost inevitable that the leaves will drop off.

Find it on

roses

Organic

Promptly prune out any infected stems and destroy them, along with any infected leaves. Grow roses with lots of room around them so the air can circulate, and prune out any congested growth.

Chemical

Use a preventative copper fungicide in spring before the overwintering spores strike. Make sure you cover all the leaf surfaces.

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