Rose bush updates

I've got 3 issues with the rose bushes this year, so I'll address them each separately.

Aphids

The new rose bush intruder of 2013: aphids. I sprayed them a few times and haven't seen them since. Yay! 

Bristly Rose Slugs

Without fail, I spotted some leaf damage on both rose bushes (forget exactly when this was, sometime since May 15th, I guess); turned over the leaves to find my little wormy "friends" munching away. This year I didn't delay in spraying them with insecticidal soap. I did this a few times, and so far it seems to have worked very effectively as I haven't noticed any new damage. Seems that the key is to spray quickly as possible with these buggers!

Black Spot Disease

This is biggest question mark of this post. Last year I went and purchased some fungicide to treat the black spot disease on the hybrid tea rose bush. 

Daconil Fungicide

 I brought it home only to find that it should apparently be applied in the spring, at least I think that's what it's saying. The directions are horrible. Not only does it not say how to spray it on the plant or even what to spray (I assume they mean to spray the infected leaves?), but they give specific cryptic directions for rose bushes for the first application: "spring bud break". Um, what?

Spring bud break?

In any case, there is one flower in bloom right now (more buds on the way!), it's kind of spring - ok maybe a little late, but the black spot was spreading so a week or so ago I decided to just spray the infected leaves and see what happened. As far as I know nothing has really changed, but it doesn't seem like it has spread anymore either. I'm still monitoring, but this is what some of the leaves looked like as of a few days ago:

Hopefully it works because last year by the end of the season it hardly had any leaves left since they were all infected. It'd be nice to eradicate it for good somehow. I wish the instructions on the fungicide were better. I have no idea if I need to reapply or when or how or where.

Aphids attack rose buds

So far this year, I see no sign of black spot disease or bristly rose slugs (so far...), instead I've found an intruder that I've not seen on the rose bushes before: aphids (as usual, qualify that with a "what I believe to be...").

Aphids on a hybrid tea rose bud (grrr!)

Aphids on a knockout rose bud.

Aphid up close.

I've found them on both rose bushes (hybrid tea and knockout), and they seemed to favor the buds, which made them very easy to spot and spray with insecticidal soap. So far it seems to be doing the job.

I found this bit of information about aphids on a site I found while searching around that might explain why they're here:

When days become shorter in the fall, both males and females are born. They mate, and then females lay eggs on stems or in bark crevices. The eggs overwinter and hatch the following spring.

Last year there were some aphids semi-infesting a mandevilla I had planted near-by. I let them live since they weren't doing too much harm - needless to say I won't be making that mistake again!

Blackspot and rose slugs. Again.

Both the black spot disease and bristly rose slugs are back again this year. The poor rose bushes just can't catch a break.

Diseased leafs

Both black spot and early signs of rose slugs.

What have we here?

Only the hybrid tea rose bush has the black spot disease, but both have the rose slugs. I immediately sprayed the slugs with the same insecticidal soap I used last year and haven't noticed anymore since.

I've also been clipping off and disposing of the leafs infected by the black spot disease, but honestly there's not many more leaves left, so I'm getting concerned. Hopefully it grows more soon. We have, however, been joying many beautiful blooms this year!

Rose slugs are back

Anger.

I sprayed them with Insecticidal soap again.
That is all.

Free of bristly rose slugs

After one application of insecticidal soap and a couple of spot sprays in the following days, I haven't seen a single rose slug since. There are also many new leafs now none of which have been munched on. I'm going to call this a victory!

Trying insecticidal soap

This is now my third try at getting rid of the bristly rose slugs and I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this as I generally don't like using insecticide if I don't have to. But, yeah, I had to - they just annoy me that much. I went out and purchased some that said that it will kill rose slugs (sawfly larva) and ended up buying this:

Garden Safe Insecticidal Soap

Yesterday I sprayed it over all of the leaves (tops and bottom). I found some slugs on it and made sure that the product was working - it seemed to. However, today I still found more... go figure. I don't have a plan D, so I'm really hoping that this works. I think it will.

The knockout rose bushes look to be growing some new branches, so soon there'll be some fresh new unchewed leaves. The hybrid tea is done blooming and will hopefully soon do the same as well.