Rose leaflet pest damage - help a rose newbie!
I noticed some discolored leaves on my Ramblin' Red this afternoon when I was poking around the newly-planted baby. Being a beginner in the rose arena, I have no clue what it is since pics I've found online don't really match ones I've seen regarding spider mites. The eggs are more thread-like, not crystalline - however, I haven't put in much time searching for possible pests. Also saw one very tiny white spider hanging on the trellis that's supporting the rose.
I'm in NW Iowa zone 4b/5, if that makes any difference :)
Any info & advice greatly appreciated!
Top of leaf with discoloration:
Underside of leaf with eggs attached:
Comments (22)
michaelg
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoRelated Discussions
Rose insect pest control
Comments (12)"In my book this is an unneeded spray for any but the worst of fungal diseases." Could be. But the ARS consulting rosarian who came to my house suggested it for the smothering effect of the horticultural oil on overwintering insect eggs. "I would start spraying with milk every 2 weeks. Get the bottoms and tops of the leaves. Milk develops and feeds the microbes living outside the plant which repel (and help the plant to repel) invaders." I did a 'net search on this. Everything I've read says milk is a fungicide, like baking soda; it acts by creating an acidic environment where the spores of blackspot and powdery mildew canÂt thrive. DidnÂt find any mention of any insect control properties at all. "I'm not trying to be a smart a## on this but it sounds like it. " Correct. "Tea is not a fertilizer. It is a source of microbes. Aged manure is really called compost. Once it smells fantastic, it is compost, a totally different material from the original manure. " You're right; perhaps I should have used the word supplement with regards to the tea. But IÂve read great things about its properties on the rose forum. Thanks for the grammar lesson on manure/compost. I canÂt tell if you approve of using it or just want to be argumentative. "Epsom salts is magnesium sulfate. That is a chemical. I supposed it is allowed by the organic standards, but I would not use it." According to that definition, table salt - sodium chloride - would be a chemical. Not that IÂd add that to roses, mind you. "Do you know you have a low pH? " Yes. Very. "You're a rose guy, right? Don't you prune back 2/3 every spring? " No I'm not a rose guy. First, I'm female. I donÂt consider myself an experienced rose grower at all. So I had an ARS rosarian come to my house for a consultation, and he kindly gave me most of the steps above. And, I havenÂt been routinely doing pruning as IÂve tried to grow roses that require only minimal pruning (no hybrid teas here) and I wasnÂt sure what to do. I put that in as another of the things recommended to me. Perhaps the "helpful advice" forum is somewhere else. I've been gardening organically for 20+ years, but responses like this make me want to go grab the Diazinon....See Moreunidentified rose pest
Comments (7)There is indeed a Wasp that lays eggs in the soft tissue of growing rose and Raspberry shoots. They are from the Sawfly group of insects. From the University of Guelph page, the italicized paragraph is particularly pertinent: "Sawflies Several species of sawflies occur on roses. Some sawflies cause damage by feeding only on leaves where others damage by boring and feeding within the stem. Adult sawflies are about 5-8 mm in length, they have four wings, and their abdomen is broadly joined to their thorax. The larvae of the bristly rose slug sawfly skeletonize leaves from the underside and later eat holes through the leaf leaving only the large vein. The larvae feed mainly at night and are therefore not visible during the day. There are usually 2 generations per year. Most damage is apparent in late summer or early fall. The common rose slug sawfly also skeletonizes leaves but does most damage in the spring. It usually feeds on the upper surface of leaves. It causes a considerable amount of injury to roses. Eggs are laid in the serrations at the edges of young leaves, usually one egg deposited within each leaf. There is only 1 generation per year. The larvae of the curled rose sawfly eat the entire leaf surface. They then bore into the pith of pruned rose canes at the pruning cut. There are 2 generations per year. The large rose sawfly is common in home gardens. Eggs are laid in a double row on shoots, each egg in a separate incision. The incision becomes blackened. The larvae may be found eating leaves from May to October. The larva is bluish-green with yellowish-black along the back, and six rows of black shining bristly tubercles. There are two generations per year. For the above mentioned sawflies, hand picking of larvae may prove effective, if infestations are not severe. The rose stem sawfly is wasp-like and appears in early summer. Eggs are laid in punctures made in the rose canes. Larvae bore through the canes causing shoots to stunt, wilt, or die back. To control this sawfly, canes must be pruned below the infested section." Here is a link that might be useful: U of G Rose pest pages...See MoreIs this sun damage on my roses?
Comments (14)Looks like sunburn to me. I'm in Phoenix and that's what happens to my roses every summer when we're in triple-digits for weeks on end. Shade cloth helps ward off the worst of it. Taking off the dead leaves - even a dead leaf casts shade and it's the canes you want to protect. Leaves come and go every year. They say you can't burn a leaf by watering during the heat of the day. I try not to argue with experts and hosing down a hot rose bush will cool the air and soil around it. Since so much of the US is experiencing the blast furnace heat we encounter year after year, I would adjust your gardening practices to mimic ours while it's so hot. You can expect fast-blowing blooms, no scent, some dormancy, a lot of dead leaves and weird cane and leaf discoloration. If the leaves were already stippled from a pest or disease, those leaves will be worse than the newer ones. Increase water; decrease nitrogen substantially. Nitrogen in warm soil will release faster and that new growth will burn and be stunted. Better to have a healthy underfed bush than a well-fed one stressing in the heat. Mulch heavily and water frequently. We don't have a great deal of blackspot here but I'm guessing a bush that defoliated with it and has no new growth is going to suffer badly in triple-digit heat. Seems weird to see both two weeks of freezing temps down here this past winter then see it hotter in KC than Phoenix....See MoreOrganic ways for pest control on roses
Comments (15)I went no-spray many years ago. Encouraging birds, lizards, toads & frogs helped a lot. The rose area has a couple of bird feeders, three waters, including one big plant platter on the ground that the frogs love to soak in. Has some large rocks in it so tiny birds feel safe using it for baths & drinking. Please, NO OFFENSE intended, but I didn't have outdoor cats or dogs, which helps if you're trying to establish a wildlife-friendly yard. Yes, I LOVE pets!!! If you have outdoor pets, maybe you can place feeders & water in more raised or sheltered locations. Hang a few bird houses in sheltered places & I'm careful not to disturb bird nests in nearby shrubs & trees. My dad's fruit trees (also native species) attract birds, too. They sample a bit, but do little harm. A few overturned broken pots under shrubs make good toad hideouts. I have sprayed the veggies & some herbs that were getting gobbled. Used a solution of blender-shredded artemisia leaves--bitterest stuff I could think of--& it seemed to work. So now I clip stems & leaves to mulch them around the affected plants. Good luck....See MoreNicole Vabre
8 years agoNicole Vabre
8 years agoNicole Vabre
8 years agomichaelg
8 years agoNicole Vabre
8 years agoYes, you're right, michaelg; I should have been more specific with that post: the eggs are crab spider & stippled leaves are from mites.
Ugh, so frustrating! Since this post I've found roseslugs on my William Baffin:
I'm amazed at their camouflage & wonder how many times I overlooked them in the last few days after discovering the affected leaves! I'm a little torn as to what line of action to take. Thus far I've been removing leaves that larvae are activity feasting on & squishing them; I don't have the stomach to pluck only the larvae off quite yet, although I'll defoliate the whole thing if I keep that up! I'm hoping their natural predators will take care of them, or they mature & fly away before causing too much damage.Sonofabitch, I guess I didn't realize roses were such a magnet for pests! Then again, I've never grown anything I've put so much love & attention into like I have these. My grape vines have only ever had gigantic sphinx moth caterpillars, which are very big & easy to see, as well as easily plucked off (courtesy of my husband), although they hang on for dear life when being removed!
cecily
8 years agomichaelg
8 years agoNicole Vabre
8 years agoOh hey, michaelg, here's what I found this morning:
The top two are a cross section of one & the bottom is part of the other cane.
I was amazed that this happened basically overnight; I'm pretty obsessive about them & thoroughly check them over every morning, lol! Well, I'm glad I do because the damage wasn't bad & I only had to cut off about 1/4" & 1/2" of cane, which were both sealed, I thought, with Elmer's glue. Unfortunately, I had used the school glue & it rained last night, washing off the glue! I didn't even think about having to reapply the school glue after precip.
I think I've encountered about half (seems like more) of all rose pests out there known to man & haven't even had them a full growing season yet! I realize this could be damage from wasps which I WANT in my garden, but not IN my rose canes!
Besides spraying, is there anything I could/should be doing, or is this considered completely normal & just part of growing roses, as far as multiple pests in a short period of time? I totally get that it comes with the territory, I just wonder if there's any other tricks or tools I should be using that I don't know about...
Nic
Nicole Vabre
8 years agoNicole Vabre
8 years agocecily
8 years agoNicole Vabre
8 years ago
altorama Ray
8 years agoNicole Vabre
8 years agotoolbelt68
8 years agoaltorama Ray
8 years ago
michaelg