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Something's Eating my Knock-Out Roses?

15 years ago

Help! I've always had a fear of growing roses because of the upkeep needed....so when I heard about this disease resistant Knock Out variety I thought they would be perfect for me. I planted 4 bushes 3 months ago. Guess that "disease" resistant doesn't mean "pest" resistant. Can someone tell me what is making a meal of my rose bushes? (see photo) And what can I do about it? Thanks for your help!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:276460}}

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Comments (9)

jerijen
15 years ago
It LOOKS like an extremely advanced case of rose slug damage.
The damage is SO complete that I'd bet the culprits have evolved into adult sawflies and moved on.

HOWEVER, you should look them up on the site below.
You can spray with a toxin, OR you can carefully examine the undersides of leaves to find the minute little green worms.
SQUISH 'EM.

Jeri

Here is a link that might be useful: Baldo's Bugs and Roses Website
olga_6b
15 years ago
Do you have Japanese Beetles in your area? They usually do this to my Knock Out roses every year during their 8-10 weeks season.
Olga
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Q. re: Knock Out rose - my 1st rose
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Comments (9)
A grouping does look good. I'd plant them into the garden now so the roots can get established. Even the hardiest roses can die the first winter if the roots have not had an opportunity to grow into the surrounding soil. August is a really hot dry time to transplant a potted rose. Unless you water regularly and deep you could lose them especially if the soil falls from the roots when you transplant. Nature size and planting distance is determined by your growing zone. Pruning can be easy. After each flush of bloom, allow the flowers to fade some. Use a pair of hedge clippers and remove the dead blooms along with a inch or so of cane to shape the bush. In a few weeks new buds will form along with new growth. You'll have more flowers within a month. Yearly pruning should be done in spring. Remove winter killed canes and dieback along with any damaged ones. Cut back as far as you want to shape the bush and keep it in bounds. As much as many rosarians complain about Knock Out being the only roses available in many garden centers, their ease of growing and hardiness encourages many to grow roses again. The desire to grow roses soon entices them to try other varieties.
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Can I prune my double knock out roses now?
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Comments (16)
I haven't had roses long either, but I think it is fairly easy to see where to prune in the spring. Wait to do it after your last frost which should be around March or April. It is a signal for your rose to start growing again so wait until you are sure it is safe. Now, when you look at your rose this spring you will see brown ends on the canes. That is dead wood, and you will cut all of that out. Make your first cut just below the brown wood into the green part of the cane. If you don't see any green cane then prune down to the soil. If the green cane is all white inside like an apple, it is good wood. If the inside is brown then you need to prune further down. Watch for dark areas on the green canes. That is canker and you need to prune below any canker you see. Once you have finished pruning seal all the cuts with something. I use regular white glue, but you can use carpenter's glue or nail polish. That will keep out borers which would otherwise lay their eggs inside the cut end of the cane. Feel free to stop by the rose forum for more advice. I post there quite often and everyone is very helpful.
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Somethings eating my rose leaves and other plants too
Q
Comments (14)
Whether they can or can't crawl back up, new crops of them hatch out all the time. Like aphids, Japanese, Fuller, Curculio and other beetles as well as all other insects which suck or chew the plants, you have to continually battle them during their "season" using whatever methods you've selected. I'm not recommending any method nor attempting to encourage you to go "nuclear" on them, but the less toxic your method, the more interactive you have to be with the control. With more generations regularly hatching from eggs, and more eggs being deposited as long as conditions favor their reproduction, new "slugs" are appearing daily or every few days. So, if you're knocking them off, picking them off or washing them off, you have to be diligent at it. Pick, knock or wash them off daily or every few days as your time, energy and infestation dictate. Or, go with an organic control like the bacterial Spinosad, which knocks down all of the hatched slugs at once for two weeks. That has to be sprayed twice monthly unless it's all washed off by a heavy rain. Yes, it can kill the predators, too, but all "insecticides" will. The point is, you have to determine whether you want to constantly battle them or take stronger measures against them. They not only cause unsightly damage, but ANYTHING which reduces the green leaf area of the rose, inhibits, reduces its ability to feed itself. Reduce the leaf surface area sufficiently and you inhibit the plant's immune system, weaken the plant,by causing it be malnourished, making it more susceptible to other damaging factors such as fungal attacks and potential freeze damage in winter, if that is a possibility where you live. Kim
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Brown thumb...Did I knock out my knock out rose?
Q
Comments (4)
Chris, follow the great advice on here. I too transplanted a knockout a couple of years ago and it has never really recovered to what it was before. I think it preferred the sunnier spot where I had it before it was moved. Even then, it would pretty much lose all of its leaves in the summer when it just was too hot outside. I think you will be able to save it. Just shade it a bit and give it some water. It should recover.
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laura55
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for your responses. I spoke to a neighbor after I posted this and he said we are having a horrible Japanese Beetle problem in our area right now. He suggested tralazine (?) or something like that. I guess I'll do what I have to do, but I am not a big fan of those big bad toxins. Suggestions gratefully accepted.
kkborre
15 years ago
Bayer Advanced Systemic 2 in 1 Rose and Flower Care will solve the problem. I had an awful problem with JB that I tried to solve organically, but this solved my problem. Buy the spray if you currently have beetles. But get the granular version going in the spring and it won't be an issue.
jerijen
15 years ago
What ever pesticide you decide to use -- BEFORE you use it -- take time to really read the label information.
Some of these materials will be in your garden for a year or two. Some, longer.
Read ALL of the information in that little brochure that may come with it.
Make sure you know what the side effects are (or are not) BEFORE you put it into your soil.
After all, you have to live there with it. So do your pets and your kids.
Make sure it is something you are comfortable with.

Jeri
shirleynimmons
10 years ago
I introduced knockout roses to my garden last year. Wow, what a treat. Okay, here's my problem, something is eating my knockouts. It looks as though some one took scissors and cut the buds off the tops. There is no indication that deers are the culprit. I am in a suburban subdivision and have not seen a deer in my yard the 30 years I have been here. Could they be night visitors? Aside from the nipped buds, my darlings are healthy. I also looked for worms. Although I have lots of rabbits and squirrels, the knockouts are out of their reach because of the height. HELP.
jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
10 years ago
shirleynimmons,

Sounds like deer or a disgruntled neighbor?

laura55,

Have you seen any JB's? Something sure is hungry...
michaelg
10 years ago
Squirrels can climb, and they do nip off rosebuds, mainly in spring. You better hope it is squirrels rather than deer. Deer make gardening nearly impossible without a high fence.
professorroush
10 years ago
Something's eating your Knockout Roses? Good...oh, wait, you're distressed about it, not happy? Sorry.

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