Arlene,

My experience with roses pales in comparison with that of most people on
this newsgroup, but here are a few points:

Orthonex *contains* Funginex (Ortho's brand of fungicide) and Orthene(?)
(Ortho's brand of systemic pesticide).

I've been spraying my roses (in Zone7b in humid North Carolina) every 7-10
days since March or April.

I understand that many rose growers use fungicides on a regular basis, but
pesticides only as needed. (But I didn't read that until I had already
started my Orthonex regimen.)

I have no idea whether butterflies lay eggs on rose leaves; I always thought
they laid the eggs directly on or near the "more desirable" caterpillar food
such as parsley, etc. (In fact, I've read that some people actually plant
parsley strictly for the butterfly caterpillars; in my case, I planted more
parsley plants in the hopes that some of them would escape the notice of the
caterpillars.)

I have never seen a butterfly near any of my (admittedly few) roses. This
year, however, despite my first-ever Orthonex-spraying regimen, I have at
least as many butterflies as in the past few years, despite my having no
"caterpillar" plants (parsley, dill, etc.) and the same 2 butterfly bushes
that I had in the past.

My suggestion is for you to ask local gardeners. Also, if you could give us
a general idea where you are (region & garden zone), I'm sure that there are
people here who might be able to give you some good advice.

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC






"Arlene Stone" wrote in message
nk.net...
I am a recent (one year) addict to roses. I sprayed with funginex because
my nursery connection said it was better for blackspot, rust, etc. Now my
leaves are being eaten alive. Should I be using othonex instead of
fungonex, and how often do I need to spray? Only did it once in the
spring,
and they are all still pretty disease free. Most of the problems are with
lover leaves turning yellow/brown. I have LOTS of butterflies. I heard
they
lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves so the newborns can eat when
they hatch. Please help with bug problems and spraying questions. Thanks