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?

Thanks,

Ronald

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

In aHlwYXRpYQ==.463888f8077d37b45d1466a2584bec8f@104 6317008.cotse.net
Shiva wrote:
There are plain fungicides like Funginex, and all manner
of "organic" recipes consisting of things like Baking Soda and such.

This year I tried an organic method, not for any kooky green reason but
because many Australian rose forum people swear by it.

It's a spray of one part milk, 5 parts water. And it works almost
instantly. I'm still amazed at how something so simple can beat every
chemical spray out there, because I normally believe the opposite.

In article .com.au,
Daniel Hanna writes
In aHlwYXRpYQ==.463888f8077d37b45d1466a2584bec8f@104 6317008.cotse.net
Shiva wrote:
There are plain fungicides like Funginex, and all manner
of "organic" recipes consisting of things like Baking Soda and such.

This year I tried an organic method, not for any kooky green reason but
because many Australian rose forum people swear by it.

It's a spray of one part milk, 5 parts water. And it works almost
instantly. I'm still amazed at how something so simple can beat every
chemical spray out there, because I normally believe the opposite.

Does it work for blackspot?
--
Jane Lumley

Hello Shiva,

I read your post. How do you use baking soda to solve this problem?? 500g
for 20litres?

Thanks!

John Wilkins wrote:

Hello Shiva,

I read your post. How do you use baking soda to solve this problem?? 500g
for 20litres?

Hello John! When I mentioned that such "organic" treatments exist, I did
not say that I use them. I put baking soda in my biscuits, and in my
freezer to keep it fresh.



Thanks!

Daniel Hanna wrote:
of "organic" recipes consisting of things like Baking Soda and such.

This year I tried an organic method, not for any kooky green reason but
because many Australian rose forum people swear by it.

Daniel--the milk idea sounds great. I, too want to know if it works on BS.
By the way, I am not anti-green--I am anti-"greener-than-thou." All that
self-congratualtory horseshit just greens me, you know? It's the same
with the "holier-than-thou" crowd. I have my own ideas about religion that
I keep to myself except for living by what I believe--instead of spouting
off about it. It is the same thing, usually--just another way for people
to feel superior to others. In the end, it doesn't--and will never really--
matter what we spray on our roses. We just are not that powerful.

In aHlwYXRpYQ==.8f37778c86cd243cfdf05669e881c87d@104 6408503.cotse.net
Shiva wrote:
Daniel--the milk idea sounds great. I, too want to know if it works on
BS. By the way, I am not anti-green--I am anti-"greener-than-thou."
All that self-congratualtory horseshit just greens me, you know?

Ditto. If a spray works, I use it. I'd spray depleted uranium if it
worked! (well maybe not:-)

The milk spray IS reputed to work on all kinds of fungus, specifically
including black spot. I can't personally vouch for it since I've had no
black spot at all this year. Whether the milk had some preventative
effect is questionable. I've had at least SOME black spot every other
year so it's possible.

Give it a try!

One last thing. I hear that American milk is 'half-half' (half water?)
in some places, but it's hard to believe. If that happens to be true at
all, bear in mind my 1:5 mix is with real milk.

In article .com.au,
Daniel Hanna wrote:

One last thing. I hear that American milk is 'half-half' (half water?)

Half and half is cream for use in coffee and some cooking, less butter
fat than whipping cream.

Heavy cream,
Contains not less than 36 percent milkfat. *

Half-and-half
Contains not less than 10.5 percent but less than 18 percent milkfat.

in some places, but it's hard to believe. If that happens to be true at
all, bear in mind my 1:5 mix is with real milk.

I used 1:10 dilution for powdery mildew. Didn't harm the rose.

--
-=-
Cass
Zone 9 San Francisco Bay Area
http://home.attbi.com/~cassbernstein/index.html

In Cass wrote:
Half and half is cream for use in coffee and some cooking, less butter
fat than whipping cream.

Heavy cream,
Contains not less than 36 percent milkfat. *

Half-and-half
Contains not less than 10.5 percent but less than 18 percent milkfat.

Ah now that makes sense. Just to clarify, I use full cream milk, not
cream.

"Shiva" wrote in message
Hello John! When I mentioned that such "organic" treatments exist, I did
not say that I use them. I put baking soda in my biscuits, and in my
freezer to keep it fresh.

O.T but Baking Soda is really great for taking care of odours.

My tenant had a mould problem in the carpet. After the carpet was steam
cleaned, one spot was still a little wet. But the silly dill instead of
airing the carpet - covered it up with a wooden board. The area turned black
and the whole place stank.

I poured baking soda over the area and it soaked up the wetness. Then I
vaccumed it off much much later.

After several layers of baking soda over the area, it got rid of the black
spot and the smell.

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

Thanks for the advice Shiva. I read it all and will take action...