How to save my rose bushes, they look like the picture below

My roses bushes are all looking like this, what can I do
  11 answers
  • Bobbie Brunk Bobbie Brunk on Oct 13, 2017

    They can't be saved! It's a virus. Did the ones up that are like this, or it will spread to all your roses.

  • Jane McVeigh McNee Jane McVeigh McNee on Oct 13, 2017

    Alba, spray the roses bushes with white vinegar, a spoonful of baking soda and some milk....... let sit for a day or so, then cut them down to crown of rose, and throw all the leaves and stems in a separate bag... make sure you pick up all leaves as you do not want infected leaves and stems lying in wait to infect any other plants around this area... mulch the roses at the base and next year you will be surprised to see beautiful new leaves, shiny and healthy. I have done this with roses, copper bush, peonies.. so far it has worked everytime, except once I had to do the copper bush twice, now it is so healthy looking and over 5 ft tall...


    hope this works for you... sorry, measurements, 1 cup of white vinegar, 3/4 cup of milk and spoonful of baking soda... stir together until mixture is a white color.. you might need more baking soda or milk to get the color right... does cost much to try and spray over all the leaves and stems.


    • See 2 previous
    • Laura B Laura B on Oct 15, 2017

      I lost a rose bush to witches broom (Rose rosett) last year. I dug it up and the surrounding ground, bagged it and threw it all away.


      Oddly, the bush regrew despite removing all of the roots and soil around it. Unfortunatel, bush grew back with the disease. I might try the mixture just to see what happens next year.


      How important is it to spray on the branches? I cut them down when I mow the lawn but the core is still there.

  • Robyn Garner Robyn Garner on Oct 13, 2017

    Spray them with Rose Dust (available in the garden depart of Homey Depot, etc). Remove the plants that are crowding the roses as they may be strangling them or stealing all the water. DON'T water roses at night as they shouldn't sit wet.


    You may have a "sucker" overtaking the rose bush. Here's how to deal:

    http://www.finegardening.com/what-%E2%80%9Csucker%E2%80%9D-rose-bush


    It could be that they are "going to wild". US roses are all grafted onto 1 of 2 root stock roses. If they've gone to wild it means the grafted on portion (above the root stock) has succumbed to the root.


    Most often when this happens the leaves become groups of 7 rather than 5. I had this happen to my best rose bush! My fix was to cut it back pretty much to the ground in fall. Mine came back just fine with the Rose Dust and harsh cutting back.

    • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Oct 13, 2017

      read the above posts ,sometimes it is what roses do.Sevin of all suggestions is the worst.FYI there are systemic cures for roses,however they do not look diseased from the photos ,they have leaves that are red

  • Robyn Garner Robyn Garner on Oct 13, 2017

    I agree that they don't look diseased.

  • Jane McVeigh McNee Jane McVeigh McNee on Oct 14, 2017

    Hi Alba,


    just seen Janet post that vinegar will kill the roses... for some reason when mixed with milk it kills the virus but not the plant. I have done this a few times and have not killed anything yet... perhaps it is our Canadian weather during the winter months, because come spring my roses and plants have all come back happy and healthy.. perhaps there is a reader who can tell us why the milk makes a difference and does not kill plants...


    hope this clarifies my original comment/post..





  • Joyce Scott Joyce Scott on Oct 14, 2017

    Janet Pizaro, thanks so much for pointing out that we all need to use systemic (natural) methods for lots of problems we face. Chemical pesticides and herbicides such as have Sevin dust or Rose dust are partially to blame for the death of honey bee colonies world-wide.

  • Jonquil Roberts Jonquil Roberts on Oct 14, 2017

    It looks like bore bettle or chrismas bettle you can buy a spray for this

  • Jane McVeigh McNee Jane McVeigh McNee on Oct 16, 2017

    I cannot honestly say, because I really do not know the Scientifics of this formula. I was told to make sure I sprayed the leaves and bark and let set overnight before cutting the next day... I guess I didn't have anything to lose and I tried it.... it worked several times for me... so as long as it works I will do it the way I was told and I passed on here for your DIY question group.


    Hope it works for you too.