Black spot and other things wrong.

Just to say thanks to the responses and to add to the nightmare of the growing of roses,
I have had quite a few blossoms drop before they opened.
Could anyone enlighten me as to why this has happened?
It has not been a dry year by any means where I am, but the blooms have not even opened and they turn black and drop from the plant.
Also the Celebration one has now started to bloom at this time not sure why.
Arthur Bell has now said winter here and no sign of growth thankfully.
Mum in a Million is in the greenhouse for the winter to separate it from others around here. I want to protect this one as it is the wife's.

 

Could be balling - a novice's guess.
Have a look at woo's great thread on pests and diseases
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/...ose-family-their-cures-reference-sheet.10916/

 

Is it safe to cut out the dead wood on the container grown rose now?

 

I don't see why not Landimad, as it's dead it isn't much use to the plant anyway.

 

Sheal,
Have cut out the dead wood now, and it looks a lot better for it thank you.

 

Maybe I'm just lazy, but as so many report these chemical treatments to be ineffective what exactly is the point of doing them?

The level of disease seems to be affected hugely by
a.Weather
b.Rose genetics

Once planted, we cannot influence either of these so may as well go with the flow.

I never treat my roses with anything and it sounds like they are no more or less successful than anyone else's?


Has anyone done an experiment that shows two identical roses side by side, one sprayed and the other not, to see what it indicates? If anyone can show conclusive proof that spraying positively increases flowering then I might actually do it next year. At least, on my Zephirine Drouhin, sickly waif that she is. All the rest grow healthily enough.

 

I'll tell you next year. Black Spot has increased on my roses year-by-year since they were planted. I have had a policy of spraying them "when I remember" ... this year they were covered, and I fear I risk having to replace them if I don't get more pro-active.

I have taken every leaf off every plant, and cleared up every fallen leaf. Next year I will spare to a schedule without fail. Although next year may be dry-as-a-bone, and thus black spot might be reduced, given how much there was on my Roses this year if I get only minimal, or negligible, outbreak next year I will consider the chemical warfare a success and stick to it in future years.

 

Aptly put Woo, as always

 

I have just introduced roses to my garden for the first time, so as yet the soil will be clear of black spot spores, but this doesn't discount the fact that the new roses are, or will be free of it. Next year I will monitor the plants without treatment to start with just to see how they progress, if any signs show then treatment will follow. The island has high rainfall which won't help the situation regarding black spot, so only time will tell.

 

As Woo knows, i'm no Rose grower, but I did have one in Wales that never got blackspot, probably due to all the coal fires, the smoke used to sit in the valley when it wasn't windy.

 

If I remember correctly, Gardener's World did something on this with either Geoff Hamilton or Percy Thrower many years ago. I am not sure of the result or what had been offered up for a alternative.