I am just gaining experience with rust (grrrrr); but from what I gather, spraying for rust won't kill the stuff you can see - it just prevents more spores from getting started. The leaves with visible rust on them have to be removed.

Cleaning up leaves on the ground is also important, as I don't think rust is bothered by the leaf it's on dying; it will go ahead and make spores. (Some infectious agents require a live host, and will die if the leaf they're on dies. Apparently rust couldn't care less.)

That's all I really know...good luck!

Lara

I've got rust some too, and I do think it's the rainy weather that's causing it.

Lara is right, nothing will kill it, spraywise, but some sprays will have a preventative quality. I have been carefully picking the leaves off where I see it, getting rid of those leaves (not dropping them on the ground or in the compost) and had already begun a spraying program for other issues (downy mildew on new Hortico plants), so I am spraying everything now biweekly with Compass, alternated occasionally with other fungicides labeled for rust prevention.

If you see rust high on a plant, check every leaf on that plant below it. Rust generally travels up a plant.

Does anyone use copper spray for rust successfully? Just wondering.
Kathy

Copper would probably work, but you would have to put up with the blue spots the copper spray leaves on the foliage.

Pick off all leaves showing rust infection on the bush and also on the ground. Prune out weaker lower growth, as it is always more rust susceptible. Then spray with a slightly stronger than non-dormant application of lime sulpher once a week until you see no more rust and soak the leaves and canes and even the ground with it. This will prevent further infection, but does not kill the rust spores. You can then move to a once every 2 weeks or so application and lower the strength of lime sulphur once the rust is under control.

Thanks for all the advice. I removed the infected leaves yesterday, then sprayed. Also removed a lot of the lower new leaves. I had to keep telling myself "They will grow back, they will grow back." I will spray with lime sulpher next time. I am hoping for the best.

I was at Sperling Nursery today in Calabasas and almost all their roses had rust (and aphids)!

Last year, both of my Heaven On Earth roses were covered in rust. They were so bad I was going to shovel prune them both in June. To make this task easier, I ended up hard pruning them and removing all the leaves. But before I had a chance to remove them, they leafed out again without any sign of disease; two of the healthiest plants in the yard.

Due to the rains, this year I had rust on the compost that I lay under the roses. They were orange scales of fungus that grew on the soil. I ended up spraying them with copper, soil and the plants, after that those orange fungus scales have disappeared.

Good luck,
FJ

But the bottom line is that if the same roses come up again with rust on NEW foliage, you can either accustom yourself to a regular program of rotating sprays, or you can remove those particular roses.

I have removed roses that rust. Religiously.
We are in Coastal Ventura County, and we have NO RUST.

Jeri

I have successfully eliminated rust from aflicted plants by pruning them to the ground in spring. The rust and other fungii overwinter on the canes.
That works well here where it is cold, and most canes are winter-killed severely anyway. Where it is warm, and you want to leave as much cane as possible, it might be hard to bring yourself to prune to grade, but it works.
Steve.

Steve, true this works also, but mainly in an open garden bed setting.

However, if the roses with rust infection are growing near a wooden fence or around say a wooden deck, the rust spores will overwinter on the wood and will reinfect the roses in the spring eventually.

True, MM, I've never had a wooden fence behind an ailing rose, only aluminum siding, chain mail and brick.
S.