Luke wrote:
Hi,

I was pruning my roses today and noticed one bush had some black spot on
it's leaves, i removed the leaves and found there was also black spots
running down the cane. Is this black spot as well as i was under the
impression black spot only appeared on the leaves. If it is on the cane
should i prune the rose back or apply a black spot remover? What do people
recommend to get rid of blackspot?


My books say that susceptible varieties of rose can get it on the the
young stems, too, but I haven't seen it myself. Could it be scale?

The roses should be losing their leaves now anyway, so make sure the
diseased leaves don't get left lying around on the ground. Do you get
frosts where you are? If so, I wouldn't prune them just yet, but when
you prune in July, prune off the black spot then. Again, don't leave the
prunings lying around. Give your roses maximum sunlight and good air
circulation, to help prevent it. I don't know of any organic sprays,
only triforine. If your roses seem particularly susceptible, then maybe
try some different varieties.

Jane