Protecting Roses From Rust

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Even solid monolithic iron, not provided with protection, is destroyed under the influence of oxygen and water, becoming covered with a layer of rust. What is it like for delicate plants to fight alone with the misfortunes of nature. True, the enemies for plants are not water and oxygen, but rust fungi that parasitize their aboveground parts. What can you do to protect your favorites from the invaders?

A rare but harmful disease

It is impossible to stop the wind and flight of insects carrying rust fungus spores. Therefore, even a very caring and experienced gardener is not immune from their invasion of their well-groomed acres of land.

Rust fungi are the causative agents of two similar diseases: rust and black spot.

Rust

Fungal spores land especially easily on plant leaves prepared for them by other pesky pests, worms and prolific aphids. Gluttonous insects are not familiar with diets, and therefore eat more than they need for development. They excrete excess food on branches and leaves in the form of sweet and sticky honeydew. It is on this dew that mushroom travelers land.

An attentive gardener may notice rusty spots on the branches of the plant in the spring. If no protective measures are taken, then later on the underside of the leaf the mushroom spores take the form of a bright orange cushion, turning black by autumn.

Black spot

Black spot does not hide on the reverse side of the leaf, but fearlessly manifests itself on its upper side in the second half of summer. Black-brown or black radiant spots stain the green surface of the leaf, sucking the strength out of the plant. The nutrients taken away by the mushrooms turn the green leaf into a yellow one, which falls off before autumn.

Such premature leaf fall provokes the growth of new shoots at the end of the season. This leads to a weakening of the strength of the plant, which does not have time to prepare for the winter period.

Disease prevention

Similarly to the human body, which is easier to systematically maintain in a healthy state than to cure diseases later, it is necessary to deal with plants as well. After all, rust affects plants, although rarely, but very aptly and insidiously. Therefore, its invasion is easier to prevent than to suffer with treatment later.

Prevention begins at the moment

choosing a landing site rose bush. Therefore, we reject damp places; poor in nutrients, including potassium; as well as places that accumulate heat, which contributes not only to rust infection, but also to the progression of the disease. The landing site should be well ventilated.

If rust has managed to penetrate your area, do not leave the affected plant parts on the site. It is necessary to remove and

destroy branches and leaves affected by the disease, and in the fall, carry out a strong pruning of the bush, leaving two or three buds from the base. And, of course, you cannot replenish the compost heap with diseased parts of the plant.

Plants have a therapeutic effect on chemicals called

"Fungicides" … This is, for example, the Bordeaux liquid familiar to gardeners. Such substances are used to prevent black spot, without waiting for the invaders to attack the garden. From the practice of gardeners, it is noticed that

do not spray plants with fungicides in rainy weather … Their effectiveness against fungal parasites decreases in the rain. At the same time, fungicides inhibit the microflora useful for plants, thereby weakening the protective properties of roses. As a result, instead of helping, harm is done, and roses become easy prey for fungal diseases.

Since rust is promoted by

worms and aphids, you must first get rid of them. There are many ways to deal with them, described in the related articles. The simplest are: spraying pest-affected plants with soapy water or dousing the plants with an energetic stream of cold water.

The usual watering of rose bushes is done at the root, while trying not to get water spray on the leaves and flowers.

Natural rust-fighting remedies

The best methods of fighting disease are invented by nature itself. You just need to go outside the outskirts and pick up horsetail or nettles (you may not even have to leave your site for it). Having prepared a decoction of herbs, rose bushes should be sprayed in May-June to prevent fungal diseases.

To combat fungi, you can use a soap solution, for which you need to add 250-300 grams of soap to a bucket of hot water. Infected plants are sprayed with a cooled solution.