Monday, December 1, 2008

How To Avoid Common Pests On Your Rose Blooms

By Keith Markensen

If you grow roses in your garden but are having problems keeping them healthy, insects may be responsible. If you do nothing to deter them, they can do a lot of damage. There are ten major rose enemies, which you should be able to identify them if you hope to evade them.

1. Aphids Aphids are the most frequent bug to feed on roses. Most commonly found in buds and shoots, high numbers of aphids will encourage mild growth and blacken the rose leaves. They can also reduce the size of the flowers, or even kill some buds. Aphids are mainly a problem in the spring and early summer. Ladybugs are the aphid's natural enemy, but you can also use water spray or insecticidal soaps to remove the aphids.

2. Spider Mites Spider mites can cause your rose leaves to dry up and fall off. They are so tiny that you probably will not notice them on the leaves. They are usually found in dry, dusty conditions. To get rid of spider mites, reduce the dust near your plants and ensure that they are watered sufficiently.

3. Fuller Rose Beetles Fuller Rose Beetles will chew on your rose bushes' flowers and leaves, giving them ragged edges. They eat during the night, and will hide on the underside of the leaves during the day. Pesticides do not usually kill them, so you'll need to handpick them off your plants.

4. Thrips Thrips leave brown streaks on your rose flowers, especially those that are white or light colored. Thrips can easily move from one plant to another if your rose bushes are planted close together. The best way to get rid of them is to clip and dispose of any blooms that have been infected.

5. Caterpillars Several species of caterpillars enjoy feeding on rose leaves. Because this damage does not threaten the rose plant's overall health, you should simply remove affected leaves or buds.

6. Rose Slugs Rose slugs are actually the larvae of sawflies, but they look like caterpillars because they have legs. They have many natural enemies, but you can also remove them by washing your rose bushes with a strong spray of water.

7. Leafcutter Bees Leafcutter bees make semicircular holes in the leaves of your rose bushes. Other than killing the bees, which are natural pollinators and therefore helpful for your garden, there is no effective way to stop their work on your rose bushes.

8. Rose Curculio In a pool garden ideas, the common problem is the Rose Curculio that usually affects yellow or white roses. They are about a quarter of an inch long, and punch holes in flowers and buds. The larvae feed on developing buds, making this pest quite destructive for your flowers. You can get rid of them by spraying your rose bushes with an insecticide.

9. Flat Headed Borers Flat headed borers cause your rose bushes to die back, and sometimes they can kill the entire plant. You need to remove anything that has been infested with this pest. Keep your plants healthy by not over pruning them, and ensuring that they receive enough water in order to have a good landscape design.

10. Scale Insects Scale insects are small grey bugs with scales. In a pool landscaping, the ideas The best way to get rid of them is to prune any affected canes, and use pesticides to keep them from infecting remaining canes. - 15485

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