Campbe4 wrote:

My Rose bush has been getting a whitish-gray powdery covering over the
the main stalks during the growing season. When this appears the general
health of the bush deteriates rapidly to a sickly state and stays there.

I would like to fight this happening but don't know what to do. Any
suggestions?

Ronald, it sounds like your rose has a mildew problem. Even though I live
in Fungus Country (NC) I don't know a lot about all the different types of
mildew. There is powdery mildew and downy mildew and maybe others. I had a
problem in the fall with the same whitish-gray looking stuff on my
Europeana a few years ago. I started using Orthenex combination fungicide
and insecticide every ten days spring to fall and never had another
problem with it. There are plain fungicides like Funginex, and all manner
of "organic" recipes consisting of things like Baking Soda and such. You
might check with your local agricultural extension office to see what they
recommend. On a simpler note, I find that washing down the foliage of my
roses with a hard fine spray of water a couple of times a week helps keep
mildew and some insects away. Good luck!






Thanks,

Ronald