Knock Out Rose Pests

Pests on a rose

Roses are the favorite among many gardeners, but their sweet, bright blossoms tend to attract more than just appreciative glances. Garden pests, especially aphids, Japanese beetles and spider mites, love to munch on roses. Using pesticides can help knock out these garden bullies, and some techniques might help keep pests at bay. However, it these solutions fail, you can always replace your chewed roses with pest-resistant Knock Out roses.

Common Rose Pests

Spider mites are barely visible to the naked eye. You can tell your roses are infected if you see flecking in the leaves and discoloration. They may even produce small webs along your roses if the outbreak is severe.

Aphids can overwhelm your roses by sucking plant fluids from new growth. These pests are attracted to nitrogen-rich sap, and because roses are nitrogen rich, they are prime targets for an aphid attack.

Japanese beetles feed on the blossoms of rose petals. They have metallic bronze backs and a green, shimmery thorax. They are attracted to floral scents.

Insecticides

Of the insecticides on the market, synthetics work best but are highly toxic, sometimes causing reproductive, nervous and immune system failures in birds and humans. Organics do the least damage to the environment, but they tend to lack strength. Diatomaceous earth, an inorganic pesticide, tends to work well and causes no damage outside the insect family.

Diatomaceous earth is made from fossilized water plants. Its sharp, microscopic edges are great for cutting up bugs unlucky enough to walk through the compound after it has been sprinkled onto your lawn. Diatomaceous earth is perfectly safe for humans, birds and pets, despite its deadly effect on insects.

Insecticide-free Techniques

Insects hate the taste of garlic, catnip and anise, so plant these herbs between and around your roses. Lightly coat your roses with hot pepper juice or a dish soap and water solution to keep pests away. Dish soap contains phosphates which can even be beneficial to your plants. A bonus is that spraying your roses with dish soap and water will kill spider mites quickly.

Rose Care

If you follow the pest-expelling techniques but fail to care for your rose's other needs, you will be no better off than when the pests were eating your rose blossoms. Be sure you use high nitrogen fertilizer and water regularly.

To keep black spot from appearing, never water the leaves. If you do water leaves, do so in the morning, so they have time to dry out in the sun throughout the day.

Prune deadheads, or dead rose blossoms, often. Trimming these using an angled cut and pruning shears will help new rose petals to grow.

Knock Out Roses

Bill Radler, the Knock Out rose's creator, wanted to develop an extremely hardy rose. In 2000, he introduced the first Knock Out rose. These roses, which come in colors ranging from dark pink to yellow, are drought and frost tolerant and resistant to disease, fungi and pests.

References

• Conrad-Pyle Company: Knock Out Family Splash
• Go Organic Gardening: Garden Pests-Weeds