Serious (rose slug?) damage--anything I can do?

14 years ago

My William Baffin, which looked so outstanding last year, and which seemed to survive the May freeze that damaged so many other roses this year, is in sad shape, with most of its leaves turned to lace (or less than lace). I never actually saw rose slugs on the underside of the leaves, but I suspect them based on lesser damage to other roses that I've seen in previous years.

This is my first year juggling gardening with a job outside the home, and that's my excuse for why I didn't catch the damage in time to put a stop to it. If it was rose slugs, I'm not even sure how to stop them other than hand-picking.

Anyway, is there anything I can do to help William recover?

Thanks for your help!

Susan

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Comments (10)

greenhaven
14 years ago
alisande, this has been the year from aych-ee-doublehockeysticks for rose slugs for me. Ironically the JB's have not even been that bad. I had a couple plants almost completely defoliated by the buggers, even with me hand-picking and squishing. I am picking ten EVERY TIME I go outside, off my brand-new Reine de Violettes. I finally broke out the insecticidal soap. Gah.

I don't think it is too late to strip off your laced leaves to induce new growth. If it is not too late in the season, give him an extra little feed, and he should be good to go.

Mostly I am just sympathetic. *hugs* What a rotten year for rose slugs!!!
peachiekean
14 years ago
Here too. My climber Clair Matin is so badly infested I don't even look at it.
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Greenthumbz--Bleach instead of vinegar or ammonia partially because it was at hand, since I keep it around to sterilize tools between diggings. Vinegar and ammonia are okay for spritzing on slugs, but these plants were getting a total emersion bath for an hour, and I didn't want them either pickled or burned. Bleach will also kill off most if not all of the eggs. On using the DE, here is part of an email I sent to someone earlier this week who had a terrible slug infestation. Okay, now to solve your slug problem quickly, cheaply, and organically, three things I strive for in my garden at all times. Go to your local feed store (as in horse and cattle feed) or your local pool supply store, and ask for a large bag of diatomaceous earth. You want the pure stuff, NOT the kind with any added chemicals, or the pelleted kind, just the straight, unadulterated, powdered diatomaceous earth. This is composed of the microscopic skeletal remains of tiny sea creatures, and viewed under a microscope it is very spiky and sharp. Without a microscope, it looks like talcum powder. If a slug touches it, the tiny particles work into its body and kill it. But itÂs harmless to pets, birds, and most other wildlife. It will kill fleas and sowbugs, too, by blocking their breathing apparatus, so it may also do in some of the smaller insects, but mostly itÂs just fatal for slugs. In my garden earthworms are not bothered by DE. Now find yourself one of those parmesan cheese shakers that you see at the local pizza place, or a fine sieve with a handle, or even an empty talcum powder container and fill it with the DE. Shake it around the base of every plant, very close to the base and make a ring around the plant 2 or three inches wide. For plants that are already infested with the slimy critters, shake some right down into the crown of the plant. Then if you are feeling really ambitious, you can also put a line a couple of inches wide around the perimeter of each bed to prevent any more slugs from crawling in. You will want to pull any mulch back from the base of the hostas before applying the DE. I did this in some of my beds 20+ years ago, and still donÂt have any sort of a major slug problem, and I live in the country and have 12 acres of totally naturalized landÂslug heaven. I havenÂt gotten around to doing the newer beds yet, but by now my toad population is such that they deal effectively with most of the slugs. Rain will wash the DE into the soil, and partially off the plants, but there is still enough residue to keep the slugs away, even though it's not readily visible. If you have a really severe problem, you might want to spread the DE around a second time in about a month, then just use it on individual plants that might still have passengers. Feed stores carry DE because itÂs an effective and safe way to deworm sheep, cattle, dogs, horses, and alpacas. Pool supply stores carry it because itÂs used in pool filters. The feed stores are more likely to have or be able to get the pure product, whereas pool supply stores usually stock the stuff with extra chemicals that you donÂt want on your hostas. Both places should be able to easily order a 40 or 50 pound bag for you, and although itÂs probably gone up in price since I last bought it, that size used to be about $10. Hope that helps. It's been almost two weeks now, and the new hostas don't have any new slug damage, so the bleach soak did the trick.
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
14 years ago
You should inspect for infestations early, and then get the insecticidal soap out right away. Rose slugs are very sensitive to the soap applications, even as they mature.
Bethany_Z5
14 years ago
I had the same problem this year.
Just horrible damage from Rose Slugs.
Neem and products with Spinosad work good.
Don't forget to spray the bottom of the leaves!
Next year I'm going to be spraying earlier!

Here is a link that might be useful: Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew
Terry Crawford
14 years ago
I'm also seeing what I'm assuming is rose-slug damage, but have yet to see them. Do they stick around all summer? I've examined the leaves, but have yet to see any slugs. The damage is pretty severe in some cases, and this was before the JBs arrived.
dublinbay z6 (KS)
14 years ago
If you go out early in the morning while it is still cool and dewy wet outside, you may have better luck spotting the slugs. Once you get used to seeing them nearly invisible hugging the edge of leaf or sometimes even curled around a new bud, they aren't so hard to find, but you have to kind of train your eye to actually see them--they blend in well with the curves of the leaves.

Sometimes towards evening if it gets cooler, they seem to come out to the edge of the leaves again. I guess they like to hide under the leaves in the heat of the day.

Your slugs may all be "departed" by now. After a week or two, the good bugs come along and get them. Unfortunately, they leave the damaged leaves behind for a long time.

Once I think the good bugs have done their job, I clip back the canes a bit to get rid of the ugly leaves and to stimulate some new growth--aided, of course, by lots of water and a feeding (if they haven't been recently fed, that is).

Fortunately, no slug problem this year. Had lots last year. Don't know what makes the difference.

Kate
prairie-rose
14 years ago
Also having a terrible time with rose slugs this year, although I've actually seen very few of the little green buggers--I'd squoosh them if I could find them. I thought I could ride out their little larvae life cycle or whatever, but it started in May and hasn't let up and it's mid-July! I tried Safer soap, but it's been too hot to spray--I tried to use it for spider mites on my Crown Princess Margareta a couple weeks ago, and ended up frying the leaves and having to pull them off after they turned black and crispy--it may have been because the formula contained sulfur (for powdery mildew), I'm not sure. I don't want to pull out the big guns (Bayer), so for now I'm just pulling off the lacy leaflets in the hope that they regenerate.
greenhaven
14 years ago
prairie-rose, I used some Peter Beales Good Health Roses spray on my RdV yesterday, coated her good under and over. Did all three of my new bareroots yesterday, actually, since they were not ready to bloom yet anyway.

Blah blah blah. Point is, I had burn on my leaves, and it wasn't even hot. As a matter of fact, all three are still in their 'soft sun' location. I have been negligent in getting'them used to full sun. Still burned from the spray. Can't win fer losin'.
redsox_gw
14 years ago
Terrible rose slugs for me this year too. The strange thing is that I didn't see (a green) aphid all Spring. Maybe I started the soap before the aphids came but I don't really think so.

Now I have the white wooly aphids, not sure if they are jumping aphids or leaf hoppers. I get them every year.
alisande
Original Author
14 years ago
Well, it's nice to know I'm in good company--really! I'll follow your suggestions. I'm grateful that WB is such a tough rose . . . and also grateful the rose slugs didn't venture farther afield in my garden.

Thanks!!

Serious (rose slug?) damage--anything I can do?

Comments (10)

greenhaven

peachiekean

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Serious (rose slug?) damage--anything I can do?

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