Many gardeners will be enjoying the warm weather, but it is incredibly important to monitor roses as the humid weather can encourage diseases like rust to spread. Rust is a fungal infection unique to roses that spreads when water sits on the leaves for a long time. It will look like orange blisters crawling up the plant.
What is frustrating about rust is that it reduces a rose’s ability to photosynthesise, and the lack of energy will weaken the plant so it cannot grow properly. This will result in a stunted rose bush that cannot produce any flowers and will slowly wilt away.
Gardeners need to know about this damaging disease, but there is no need to be alarmed, as rust can be quite easy to treat if it is caught early enough.
In May, rust is usually just beginning to spread, so make sure to regularly inspect your roses, as it is commonly found on the lower leaves
It can look like orange or yellow spots on leaves that will eventually begin to move up the plant if left untouched.
The gardening experts at Jackson and Perkins have shared that you must immediately begin removing the infected leaves as soon as you spot them.
They said: “Being very careful not to touch unaffected rose plants while pruning out infected plant material, dispose of the pruned material immediately.
“If it is allowed in your area, burning the pruned material is the most effective way of disposing of it. Do NOT put this material in your compost pile and do not dispose of it in the woods.”
Rust can sit on leaves, and the spores will begin to release in spring, so do not leave any infected foliage in your garden. Make sure to pick it all up and throw it away to reduce the chance of it spreading.
Once you have cut back the infection, you will need to apply a fungicide every seven to 10 days, as this is the life cycle of rust spores.
You can buy treatments at your local garden centre, but one natural way to get rid of rust is with neem oil.
The expert said: “Many home gardeners turn to neem oil as a treatment for infestations of mites, fungus and other plant diseases.
“Neem oil is distilled from the seeds of the neem tree and is a naturally occurring fungicide and pesticide. Used for hundreds of years as a treatment for agricultural issues, neem oil tends to have a sulfurous and garlicky smell.”
Neem oil is most effective during the early stages of rose rust and can also be used as a fungal suppressant to prevent the disease from reaching the plant.
It is a natural way to treat roses without using chemicals that could harm animals, but be careful using it during hot, dry weather (25C or above), as it can cause leaves to burn if used improperly.
