I have managed to rid my roses of rust by cutting them to the ground. Fungal spores reside on the canes as well as the leaves. By removing them when the plants are dormant (I usually wait until the ground is frozen to limit damage to the soil structure), the fungii are removed as well. Blackspot will appear during late summer unless you spay, which I avoid.

Hope this helps though this method is rarely voiced.

Steve

are you sure its rust? Rust is not real common in WI. Spider mites can be a problem here & they can give the appearance of rust.

I believe it is the general consensus that a hard prune in December is not the way to go. The new growth stimulated has many months to be killed by weather before spring and it will eventually weaken the rose and subsequent performance.. I am in Chicago and I have had an explosion of spider mites that have given mine that rusty look and scorched leaves. Look for tiny webbing on the underside of the leaf. If you find it, treat for the mites first.
Here is a pic of how mites affected my ebb tide, along with other roses. I decreased the mite population and it is budding out again. This pic was taken after several weeks of not responding to the mites. They can have a rusty cast on the leaves before they get to this leaf death stage.

I've looked all over these bushes--no indication of any type of bug/worm/mite. The leaves have little yellow spots on the front. When you look at the underside of the leaf--it has orange/red spots (like rust), but they are not raised spots. Rust can happen with cool, moist conditions. In Milwaukee, we have had very cool nights almost all summer long and lots of rain. Ripe weather for rust. I used to cut my bushes way down by beginning of December for probably most of the years I've lived here-- I want to say I "harsh pruned' (because that was how I was told to do it) for at least 15 years. Over the last number of years I have waited to prune til Spring. To be perfectly honest, I don't notice the roses doing better by waiting to prune til Spring.

Actually I doubt that I hard pruned because I believe I cut them down to about one foot high. I never ever cut them to the ground.

I have also had ideal weather for rust....and all the other lovely fungal conditions. Gotta love Chicago weather. I also give mine a neatening up trim when I winterize. Just can't stand the looks of the scraggly branches. Also reduces wind rock. Did u look this up on baldo's page?

Whether you cut them off or not the spores for all fungal diseases are already present in the air and soil. If the weather conditions are right for them to grow, they will. Pruning the roses way down will not prevent the rust, black spot or what ever, from coming back next season. However, taking off all the energy your roses have stored in those canes may prevent your roses from coming back next spring. I would continue to leave those canes on for the winter and wait and prune next spring.

Sigh.....I will leave them til Spring. I do prune a little off when I collar them though. I wish the wind would blow off all these diseased leaves cuz there are too many to pick off.

Seil, in the Spring, before they start leafing out, would I be able to prune them down further without taking off the energy? thanks.

I am a lazy gardener. Since I plant the bud unions deeply, I leave my roses uncovered during winter and, therefore, usually loose every cane to winter's natural pruning.

Seil, I know you are right about fungii being present in the air, etc., but I had rust on several roses for a couple of years and lost it pruning to the ground years ago. It has never returned. What can I say? I'm lucky I guess :-)

Steve

Nick, in the spring you only need to take off what ever cane is winter damaged and do not need to prune them down to the ground if the cane is still healthy and green. I always leave as much of the old viable cane as I can when I spring prune. Some years that's a lot and other years, like last year, it's next to nothing. Either way I let the roses start out with as much cane as possible and they seem to do very well.

Steve, I don't have much experience with rust so I can't say one way or the other about your results If it works for you then go for it. Thankfully rust is very rare here and I've never had it on my roses and have only seen it once on someone else's.