Rose bush disease - Ask Extension
Attached are several photos of the leaves with holes in them from my wonderful miniature rose bushes that haven had roses almost all the time during t...
Knowledgebase
Rose bush disease #839713
Asked July 09, 2023, 9:45 AM EDT
Attached are several photos of the leaves with holes in them from my wonderful miniature rose bushes that haven had roses almost all the time during the sumners for several years. They are in large window boxes (1’ x 8’ x 1’ Deep). Good soil, good drainage.
Suggestions for healing them?
Thanks very much.
Aron
Sent from my iPhone
District of Columbia County District of Columbia
Expert Response
Hello; Thanks for submitting your garden and landscaping questions to the University of Maryland Ask Extension Service.
The leaves of your roses are being eaten by sawfly rose slug larvae. See this UMd Extension webpage on sawfly larvae: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/sawflies. Follow rose slug management practices as mentioned.
You know that your miniature roses would much prefer being planted in a landscape garden soil. Growing roses in artificial soil in a window box requires a certain kind of maintenance and care. The presence of yellow leaves in one of your photos indicates that your roses might be suffering from nutrient deficiencies:
*In Spring, do you repot your roses in fresh potting soil?
*Do you add a balanced fertilizer to your roses periodically through the growing season?
*Is your window box free draining after being deluged from summer rains that we have been experiencing?
If you visit garden centers or arboretums seek out knowledgeable horticulturists who have experience successfully growing shrubs like roses in containers to give advice on how to get your roses to thrive and flower in a container environment.
Good luck in your landscaping efforts. Thanks; Christopher
The leaves of your roses are being eaten by sawfly rose slug larvae. See this UMd Extension webpage on sawfly larvae: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/sawflies. Follow rose slug management practices as mentioned.
You know that your miniature roses would much prefer being planted in a landscape garden soil. Growing roses in artificial soil in a window box requires a certain kind of maintenance and care. The presence of yellow leaves in one of your photos indicates that your roses might be suffering from nutrient deficiencies:
*In Spring, do you repot your roses in fresh potting soil?
*Do you add a balanced fertilizer to your roses periodically through the growing season?
*Is your window box free draining after being deluged from summer rains that we have been experiencing?
If you visit garden centers or arboretums seek out knowledgeable horticulturists who have experience successfully growing shrubs like roses in containers to give advice on how to get your roses to thrive and flower in a container environment.
Good luck in your landscaping efforts. Thanks; Christopher
than you very much for the response.
I did want to tell you that we live on the 7th floor of a large apartment complex in DC (The Watergate) and have no access to the yard. The roses have done so well for 5 years. We did replace all the soil once.
We will take your advice and look for a better product for our window boxes.
Aron
