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If you are the proud owner of roses, you definitely want to be able to enjoy the pretty plants for a long time. However, numerous pests can cause an unpleasant surprise when leaves wither, flowers become blotchy and roots begin to rot. Rose pests are numerous and it is important to recognize and combat them so that you don't have to look after your rose plants in vain. Appropriate home remedies help to contain the infestation.
rose pests
Pests choose species of the genus Rosa because of the numerous plant saps as a food source and breeding ground for the larvae and caterpillars. The number of rose pests is not small and each species can be recognized by specific damage patterns. The damage patterns are particularly important when analyzing the possible pest, since the roots, leaves and flowers are mainly affected. That is, without clear symptoms, you cannot find out which pest it would be. The sections below will help you identify the malware.
spider mites
Spider mites are among the pests that are not only noticed by owners of roses in the garden. The small spider-like creatures suck the valuable plant sap from the roses through the leaves and feed on their underside. to recognize
Are you suffering from the following symptoms:
- "Cobwebs" on the leaves
- Leaves mottled with yellow
- Leaves dry up
- plant weakens
Spider mite infestation
You will also see small arachnids populating the webs. Spider mites appear in most cases when the following site conditions are present:
- stagnant air
- dry
- warm to hot
- covered
The Tetranychidae can be identified by spraying some water on the roses. Water droplets then form on the webs. Accordingly, potted roses are a common target for mites. You can prevent this problem if you move your plants to an airy or humid location that is also not covered. This even applies to specimens on the balcony or terrace. There is really nothing more you can do to prevent spider mites.
aphids
Aphids are just as harmful to the pink, and it is imperative that you combat them. As with other plants, these can be recognized by their way of life:
- Plant parts wither away: leaves, buds, shoots
- Suck marks: dotted or blotchy
- Leaves and buds fall off
- Leaves and buds are misshapen
- honeydew
Even a small infestation of aphids is immediately recognizable because the animals can be seen with the naked eye. Here, too, the location is to blame for an infestation. Dry, warm locations over the summer are particularly affected. If your roses are weakened, a real plague will quickly develop.
Aphid infestation on a rose
tip: If you have a lot of ants around, you should do something about them. Ants take care of aphids and ensure that the population is maintained, even if you use suitable home remedies.
rose sawfly
Infestation with Caliroa aethiops can occur from May to June. This is one of the largest leaf pests of the genus Rosa and can be recognized by rose petals, which are eaten more and more until only the leaf veins remain as a skeleton. The shoots and flowers are usually spared. This cannot be prevented. While the wasps themselves are black and shiny, the larvae have other characteristics:
- green top with yellow belly
- resemble snails in shape
- Length: 1 cm
tip: If you see swollen growths on your roses, it will be the rose gall wasp laying its larvae in these growths. The galls are not actually harmful to your rose plants and can be easily removed and disposed of.
rose leaf scroll wasp
The Blennocampa pusilla attacks the rose petals in a similar way to the rose sawfly, only they curl up and thus form a safe retreat for the wasp larvae. These remain there from May to early or mid-June, until they fall out of the ground. In themselves, the larvae do not harm the roses, only a large infestation can weaken the plant somewhat.
tip: In addition to the rose leaf scroll wasp, there are other Tenthredinidae wasp species that use your roses as a breeding ground for the caterpillars. In most cases, these can be found under the rose petals from May to June and can be easily collected, which significantly reduces the infestation.
rose moth
This moth is a dangerous pest because it lays its eggs directly in the young shoots of the rose. The larvae hatching from the eggs then eat through the rosewood and severely weaken it. This happens at the end of summer from August to mid-September. If you spot caterpillars on your roses during this period, you need to get rid of them as soon as possible. Small holes could also be seen on the shoots. The adult, brown animals, on the other hand, eat the following plant parts of the rose:
- buds
- blossoms
- leaves
- shoot tips
Rose shoot borer
Like the rose moth, the rose shoot borer is dangerous for the plants because the larvae feed on the pith in the shoots. Rose shoot borers can also only be prevented by collecting possible caterpillars, since the affected shoots die off over time. Here, too, "boreholes" can be seen. Infestation occurs mainly in May.
Borehole of the rose shoot borer
Common rose chafer
Also known as the gold beetle because of the golden-yellow spot on its back, it stays in the flowers or on the young shoots and eats the plant material. The damage from feeding behavior is not in itself bad for the roses if only small numbers of gold beetles appear. In particularly hot summers, however, the beetles can flock to your plants. Then you definitely need to fight them. However, you are not allowed to kill the gold beetle. It is under nature protection and may therefore only be resettled. You prevent the infestation by collecting the animals in the early morning hours. During midday and evening they fly around very quickly, making capture impossible.
tip: Roses can sometimes be infested by another beetle, the vine weevil, which is known for its large appetite for ornamental and useful plants. With roses, however, this occurs quite rarely and the reason for this is usually another plant nearby that is affected.
rose leaf leaf miner
You do not have to treat the rose leaf leaf miner moth itself, as a normal infestation is quite small. The pests can be recognized by lines on the leaves. These are tunnels that the moth larvae have eaten through the leaf. If an extreme infestation is noticed, you should remove as many caterpillars along with the rose petals. This prevents the plants from being weakened.
Burrows of the larva of a leaf miner
rose leaf cicada
One of the most well-known rose pests is Edwardsiana rosae. The rose leaf cicada is characterized by a similar feeding behavior, but does not form webs and the insects hop away when there is danger. They can be recognized by the following characteristics:
- Color: light green, yellow-green
- big wings
- only rarely in groups
The cicadas mainly appear when the location is hot. Two times of the year are particularly noteworthy:
- late May to mid-July
- mid-August to mid-September
On the second date, the insects lay their eggs in the rose shoots and reproduce in this way. For this reason, scare away the cicadas as best you can so that you don't have to fight them next year.
Home remedies for rose pests
You do not have to fight rose pests immediately with pesticides. These often even have a negative effect on the plants and should only be used in extreme cases. An example is the infestation by the rose sawfly. This can only be fought with appropriate means. For all other pests, you should use the following home remedies. These aren't even harmful to your roses:
Home remedies from A - D
collect
One of the most effective home remedies to get rid of the pests is to collect the caterpillars and larvae. Of course, this is not possible with aphids, but it is extremely efficient with the other visible pests. As soon as you have collected the caterpillars and larvae, you should dispose of them in the residual waste or move them far away from your garden if you do not want to kill them immediately.
Remove affected plant parts
An incipient plague of insects such as rose leaf scroll wasps can be easily removed by removing the affected parts of the plant. If shoots, leaves and flowers are infested with the pests, grab the scissors and then dispose of the clippings in the residual waste. The larvae of many pests can survive on the compost.
nettle brew
Make a nettle decoction from one kilogram of nettles and five liters of water. Place all of these ingredients in a bin or container and let the mixture steep for three days. Then squirt the brew undiluted directly onto the pests. Since this is not nettle manure, it is not necessary to dilute it. Particularly effective against rose aphids.
shower
Roses are not sensitive to high water pressure and for this reason you can use a shower as a home remedy for pests such as spider mites. To do this, spray the undersides of the leaves and the affected shoots with the garden hose to remove the pests.
Home remedies from K - S
herbs
Plant herbs between the roses. Herbs such as sage (bot. Salvia), mint (bot. Mentha) and basil act as an effective barrier against a variety of rose pests and, due to the greater distance between specimens, prevent rapid spread in the event of an infestation. You can also plant garlic (bot. Allium sativum) and other leeks.
neem oil
Neem oil has established itself as a good household remedy against many harmful insects and can also be used against most of the pink pests. To do this, mix part of the oil into the water for pouring. In this way, pests such as vine weevil and rose leaf roller wasps stay away. If you make a spray from neem oil and water, you can use it to fight aphids, for example.
soap solution
Mix two liters of water, 100 grams of curd soap and 150 milliliters of spirit to make a spray. You then apply this to the affected parts of the plant, especially the leaves. You should not spray flowers with this agent, as they are too sensitive to the ingredients. It works in a similar way to neem oil.
Natural predators
You can use appropriate predators against a large number of the pests. Although this is not really a home remedy, you do not have to rely on chemicals. Many of the caterpillars can be killed, for example, if you settle birds or hedgehogs. Also to be mentioned are ladybirds, predatory mites, lacewings, predatory bugs, gall midges and earwigs, which even consume adult specimens of the rose pests.
It is also advisable to choose resistant rose varieties. These are only visited by pests in exceptional cases and are therefore ideal for your garden. Above all, healthy ADR varieties should be mentioned.
tip: Regular pruning is also particularly effective, because if roses are neglected, they are the ideal habitat for numerous harmful insects. Above all, a strong pruning in spring and autumn should be observed, as the vitality and thus the resistance to pests is retained.