They are beautiful to look at - especially when they are in bloom: climbing roses. However, like almost all roses, they are quite sensitive to care errors and attract various fungal and deficiency diseases as well as pests. In the following article you will learn what signs you should look out for.
What diseases can affect climbing roses?
Climbing roses can be affected by fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, gray mold, rose leaf spot, rose rust and star sooty mildew. Pests such as black weevils, rose leafhoppers, spider mites, rose aphids, sawflies, rose leaf leaf miners and gall wasps can also occur. Good care and natural enemies help protect plants.
Fungal diseases in climbing roses
Many fungi can be avoided by watering and fertilizing the climbing rose correctly. This also includes keeping the leaves as dry as possible and not wetting them when watering - rose leaves are very sensitive to moisture.
Powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is also known as “fair weather mildew” because it occurs primarily in hot and dry summers. An infestation is noticeable through a white, flour-like coating on buds and leaves, but can be combated quite easily using fungicides or home remedies (a spray treatment with a water and whole milk mixture has proven particularly effective).
Gray horse
Gray mold rot occurs primarily in locations that are too moist and/or too shady and is mainly noticeable through a grayish fungal growth that appears primarily on the buds. The treatment is carried out through a courageous pruning.
Rose leaf spot disease
This fungus also occurs when there is a lot of humidity (especially when the rose petals cannot dry for a long time) and is manifested by red or black spots with a lighter center, which mainly appear on the leaves. Infected leaves should be collected and disposed of with household waste.
Rose Rust
The rose rust can be recognized by the typical circular, orange-yellow to orange-red pustules on the leaves. You can prevent this very contagious disease with a good supply of potassium.
Star sooty dew
Good potash fertilization also helps against infection with star sooty mold, which is noticeable through frayed, brownish to purplish-black spots on the leaves.
Common Pests
In addition to the diseases listed, there are a number of pests that prefer to attack roses. This primarily affects already weakened specimens, which are further weakened by an infestation. These pests include, among others:
- Furrowed Black Weevil
- Common rose leafhopper
- Common spider mite
- Rose aphid
- sawfly
- Rose leaf leaf miner
- Rose gall wasp and leaf gall wasp
If an infestation occurs, treatment should be carried out as quickly as possible to prevent widespread spread. The natural enemies of the pests mentioned (for example predatory mites and predatory bugs against spider mites and ladybirds against aphids) can preferably be used.
Tip
To prevent fungal diseases in particular, fallen climbing rose leaves should always be cleaned up and removed with the trash. Fungal spores often adhere to the leaves, which survive the winter and cause an infection in spring.
