How to Naturally Stop Rust Fungus on Roses

A healthy rose will be free of spots.

Synthetic chemicals can be used to treat rust fungus on home garden roses, but growers who prefer natural methods can rest assured there are options. Utilizing natural methods means you can protect the environment while creating less potential harm to your roses, which can suffer more injury from harsh treatments. You can often prevent rust fungus by practicing consistent plant care. Vigorous roses are more capable of fighting off and recovering from diseases than weakened plants.

Things You'll Need

• Gardening gloves
• Protective eyewear
• Protective clothing
• Pruning shears
• Spade
• Natural fungicide
• Organic mulch

Instructions

1. Ensure that you are purchasing healthy, disease-free roses before introducing them into your home garden.

2. Grow your rose plants in loose soil with good drainage for best development. Locate your roses in full sun exposure for optimal development. Set a goal of at least six hours of morning sunlight a day as the sun aids in the drying process of dew that promotes the development of fungal infections like rust.

3. Verify that your rose plant is infected with rust fungus before moving ahead with treatment. Look for orange spots that resemble rust, as the name suggests, on all parts of your rose plants excluding flower petals and roots.

4. Prune roses to create an open center that results uniform air circulation to all parts of the plant as an essential aspect in diminishing rust problems.

5. Irrigate during the morning hours, and avoid overhead irrigation when possible. Keep leaves dry as often as possible as standing water encourages growth of rust fungal pathogens of the Phragmidium species, according to the Clemson University Extension.

6. Add a layer of mulch to the area surrounding your rose plants without allowing the mulch to make contact with the stems of your roses. Use an organic mulch like pine needles as mulch, particularly when applied each spring, helps prevent disease while inhibiting weed growth and pest infestations that weaken your roses, leaving them more vulnerable to rust disease infection.

7. Remove and destroy affected plant parts with pruning shears to control and reduce the intensity of the rust disease and keep it from spreading. Gather and destroy any plant debris as well.

8. Completely remove and destroy an entire plant that is severely infected with rust disease by digging it from the ground with a spade. Though removal may not seem ideal, it benefits other healthy roses that are easily infected from spreading fungal pathogens.

9. Sanitize any garden equipment or tools as well as hands and clothing or other materials that come into contact with plants when moving from an infected rose plant to another to prevent disease transfer and control rust within your home garden.

10. Apply a natural fungicide for severe rust infections that do not respond to other management methods. Employ the use of a sulfur fungicide or a copper fungicide as these options do not include synthetic components but possess the powerful treatment necessary for fighting this challenging disease. Avoid using sulfur for your rose rust disease when temperatures rise above 80 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent plant injury and choose not to apply copper fungicides to younger plants as immature leaves can easily experience damage, according to the Purdue Extension.

Tips & Warnings

• Contact your local county extension agent or a licensed professional for advice on particular treatments and application procedures tailored to your particular problem and region.

• Always wear gardening gloves, protective eyewear and protective clothing as a safety precaution when handling sharp tools or chemicals.

References

• Clemson University Extension: Rose Diseases
• Purdue Extension: Using Organic Fungicides
• Clemson University Extension: Growing Roses
• Ohio State University Extension: Controlling Rose Diseases
• University of Wisconsin-Extension: Rose (Rosa) Disorder: Rust