How to Keep Your Roses Free of Black Spot Disease

Raising healthy, beautiful roses is practically a full-time job. One of the biggest concerns to a gardener are those pesky black spots that appear on the pedals known as black spot disease. This fungal disease eats through roses and ruins your flowers.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Keep a constant watch of your garden in order to keep it clean from spreading disease. When black spot disease stricken leaves fall, they can spread this fungal disorder to the other roses in your garden. By picking them up as soon as you see them you can help slow the spread.

2. Plant your roses in an area with a great deal of flowing air. Stagnant air encourages the fungus to grow and spread, so making sure your roses are in a breezy area will help your plants stay free of black spot disease.

3. Keep your rose leaves dry when possible. Wet leaves encourage the fungus that creates black spot disease to grow. Using a spray hose directly on the roots will help keep this problem from getting more serious for your roses.

4. Apply a fungicide to plants that have not yet come down with black spot disease. While fungicide will not remove black spot disease, once it has set in on a plant it is the best defense for healthy plants who have yet to fall prey to the disease. Go to your local plant store and ask for a reliable organic brand or fungicide for roses.

5. Choose only roses that are more resistant to black spot disease. While this fungus can attach itself to any rose, there are some types that fight off the symptoms better than others. These include: bonica, carefree beauty, carefree wonder, cuddles, playboy, simplicity and the fairy.