some animal is eating my rose buds
kygregg
16 years ago
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the_morden_man
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Help, something eating the tips of my rose buds
Comments (12)This happens to my roses like 2x a year. I cannot explain what causes them to form this way, but it seems to affect many different varieties and usually around the same time. Some varieties (elegant fairy tale, sugar moon, mr Lincoln)are more prone to it than others. I live in south Fl so cold or frost damage is certainly not the culprit. I read once that too much alfalfa can cause this to happen, and I think there is a coorolation because one year I used copious amounts of Rose Tone (which contains Alfalfa) and that was the year that I had it the worst. (I no longer use rose tone and I've seen a significant decline). Not to say that Rose Tone is bad, I believe it to be a good product, but I used it in pots and perhaps it was too concentrated. Have any if you seen a cooralation between using alfalfa meal and phyllody (or near phyllody) like Hoov says?...See MoreCould it be bugs eating the leaves and buds off my roses ?
Comments (2)The most common "eater" of rose leaves in California is the Bristly Rose Slug, the larvae of the Rose Sawfly. The sawfly is a pudgy little wasp. It lays its eggs on the UNDERSIDES of the leaves and the caterpillars feed on the UNDERSIDES of the leaves. The rose slug is tiny, no more than 1/4-inch long and very slender, and it's the exact same pale green as the undersides of the leaves. Talk about hard to see and find! It's the critter that "skelotinizes" rose leaves. It's pretty easy to get rid of, actually. Almost any good spray will do the job: insecticidal soap, Neem, pyrethrum. The trick is to spray thoroughly UNDER the leaves. Not stand back and spray all over. You have to get UNDER the leaves. By the way, a commonly suggested spray for rose sawfly is BT. It doesn't work. It doesn't work because it's meant for the caterpillars of moths and butterflies. The rose slug is the larvae of a wasp. And I'm not sure of any beneficial insect that preys upon it. As for your rose buds, Applenut has a good idea. Go outside late at night with a flashlight. The critter most likely is an earwig, sowbug or pillbug. It also might be a slug or snail. Joe...See MoreSome animal is eating my rose
Comments (10)Rabbits, most likely. That's the kind of damage they do. Some stems they eat and some they just bite off and leave. A good cage like Jim 1961 made for his Julia Child will work. Make yours just like his. Looks like Jim's is 16" high. It needs to be at least that high, don't go any lower. 24" high is even better. A big rabbit will be able to reach over a short cage as he stands on his hind legs and reaches over the top of it. They can stretch like a slinky! The fence wire Jim used with the 2X4" openings is good, chicken wire is too shaky. Rabbits will stand up leaning on chicken wire and feast on the rose bush they can now reach as it buckles in under their weight. Unfortunately baby rabbits can get through a 2X4" opening so a ring of 1' high chilcken wire fastened to the fence wire cage at ground level like a collar, is needed. Rabbits can destroy a rose garden. I'm truly sorry for your problem, but there is a solution, and a passive one that works 24-7. Looks a little odd, but it works....See MoreSomething eating my Fourth of July rose buds
Comments (1)Are you sure it's not a virus or other type of disease? I've had malformed rose flowers sometimes when the plant isn't well watered or well nourished....See Moreseil zone 6b MI
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