| If you have a rose garden, sooner or
later you will have to deal with an
outbreak of blackspot. Blackspot is a
common fungal disease that affects roses.
It is caused by the fungus Diplocarpon
rosae. When you notice a case of
blackspot coming on, you must act as soon
as possible. If you don't your rose will
produce fewer blossoms, and even run a
risk of not over wintering. It is very
easy to spot blackspot when it is in its
later stages, but if you keep a sharp eye
out you might be able to find an outbreak
in its earlier stages. The first sign
that you will see are the tell-tale black
spots that form on the leaves of the
bush. It is from these spots that the
disease gets its name. As blackspot
infects a rose bush, yellow rings grow
around the original black spots, which
start to spread to the underside of the
leaves. The symptoms will increase and
soon the entire leaf will yellow and
wither, before falling off completely.
Blackspot is a fungal growth, and so
it will spread from bush to bush. If you
leave it untreated it can infect your
entire garden. It will over winter in the
fallen leaves, and on canes that it
previously infected. Because it is a
fungus, blackspot thrives under warm and
moist conditions.
The only way to keep blackspot from
taking over is to take good care of your
roses. Dispose of the leaves that provide
shelter for blackspot. Cut off infected
limbs and canes from the rose bushes. To
treat an outbreak, buy sulphur and
fungicidal soap in spring before your
roses produce leaves. Spray both onto all
affected plants. The fungicidal soap will
kill living blackspot, and the sulphur
keeps its spores from sticking to the
plant. It is important that you keep
reapplying sulphur with every rain,
because water washes it off.
Blackspot cannot germinate if the rose
bush is not damp. So do your best to keep
your bushes' leaves from getting wet.
Don't spray the leaves when you water, or
better yet, use a sprinkler hose. Water
only early in the day so there will be
plenty of sun to dry out the water
throughout the day. Keep all your bushes
well pruned so that air can circulate
around the leaves.
Finally, if you come across a rose
that displays the signs of a blackspot
outbreak, don't hesitate! Prune it
immediately. And don't throw the leaves
onto your compost pile, but into the
trash. Composting will not kill the
fungus. Then apply your sulphur. With a
little be of care, your roses will look
stunning, and blackspot will be easily
overcome.
Gregg Hall is an author living in
Navarre Florida. Find more about this as
well as flower bouquets at http://www.flowerbouquetsandmore.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gregg_Hall
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