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Rose rust is a common and long-lasting fungal infection. Fighting rust requires patience and the right measures. Natural home remedies are an environmentally friendly weapon in the fight against the disease.

In a nutshell

  • Rose rust is a fungal disease
  • occurs from spring to autumn
  • Spores overwinter on fallen rose leaves
  • Various natural home remedies can be used to combat it

Rose rust damage

Rose rust is a fungal infection that is primarily caused in Central Europe by two rust fungi from the Phragmidium genus. The disease can be recognized by tiny, circular leaf spots with pustules in which the fungal spores form. The color of the spots depends on the season and the development of the mushrooms.

Spring:

1st propagation wave

  • first: small, shiny, orange-red leaf spots on the upper side of the leaf
  • shortly afterwards: bright orange spots on the underside of the leaves, cup-shaped fruiting bodies with spring spores

Summer:

2. Propagation wave

  • tiny, orange-reddish leaf spots with pustules (spore bearing) on the underside of the leaf
  • Spore bed filled with bright yellow summer spores
  • appear as yellow-orange-brown spots when viewed from the upper side of the leaf

Late summer / early fall:

  • formation of black winter spores
  • appear as dark spots
  • overwinter on dead leaves and stems

Notice: The transition from summer to winter spores is fluid. This is why yellow, orange and black spots appear from late summer.

Remove affected plant parts

Before you apply natural home remedies to the infected roses, you should cut off the affected parts of the plant. On the one hand, they can no longer be saved, on the other hand, the fungus then quickly spreads from these spots over the entire rose bush and the risk of infestation increases. This can eventually cause the rose to lose all of its foliage and/or die.

Combat rose rust

Natural home remedies can help fight rose rust, but only in the early stages of infection. In addition, not all remedies have to work equally well on all roses. If you don't notice any improvement, you should change the home remedy.

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

For a horsetail broth you need:

  • one kilogram of horsetail stalks (alternatively: 150 grams of dried stalks)
  • 10 liters of cold or lukewarm water
  • Sieve or linen cloth for filtering

First put the chopped stems in a container with water. Let the mixture steep for at least 24, but preferably 48 hours. Then boil the broth for one to two hours. Then cover and leave to cool.

Combat rose rust:

  • Dilute broth in a ratio of 1:5 to 1:10 with clear water
  • Pour and sprinkle the rose with the diluted broth
  • apply several times in a row for three consecutive days, at the same time, in the mornings when the sun is shining

Garlic (Allium sativum)

For a tea or a broth of garlic you need:

  • 300 grams of fresh garlic
  • 10 liters of water
  • Sieve or linen cloth for filtering

Pour boiling water over the finely chopped garlic. Let the tea steep for half an hour. Then filter out the garlic pieces and let it cool down.

Combat rose rust:

  • Mist roses with the garlic tea every two weeks

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

For a cold water extract you need:

  • 200g fresh yarrow flowers (alternatively: 20 grams dried)
  • a liter of water

Add the flowers to the water and let the mixture steep for 24 hours. Then knead and strain the flowers. Then squeeze out the remains of the flowers.

Combat rose rust:

  • Mist rose and surrounding soil
  • three times in three consecutive days

Notice: Since yarrow strengthens the rose, the cold water extraction can also be used as an admixture to other spray mixtures.

Male Fern / Bracken (Dryopteris / Pteridium)

You make a fern manure from the leaves of male fern or bracken. For this you need:

  • one kilogram of fresh fern leaves (alternatively: 15 grams of dried leaves)
  • 10 liters of water
  • Wooden barrel (alternatively earthenware or polyethylene)
  • wire mesh
  • old bag or something
  • stone to complain about

First put the fern leaves in the sack, tie it up, put it in the water and weigh it down with the stone. Then cover the barrel with the wire mesh to keep animals from drowning. Once the bubbles have stopped forming, you can use the liquid manure after a week.

Combat rose rust:

  • Spray the rose undiluted several times with the fern broth
  • preferably on cloudy days or at dusk

Tip: The addition of crushed horse chestnuts or green walnut shells during preparation increases the effect.

Mixture of washing-up liquid and cooking oil

For this mix you will need:

  • 100 milliliters cooking oil
  • two packets of baking powder
  • a few drops of detergent
  • three liters of warm but not boiling water

Mix the cooking oil with dish soap and the baking soda. Top up the mixture with water. Then stir the mixture with a wooden spoon and let it cool down.

Combat rose rust:

  • Spray rose every two to three days
  • ideal time: in the evening

Notice: Because the dish soap and cooking oil mixture can damage the roots, cover the soil around the rose with plastic wrap before spraying.

Valerian (Valerina officinalis)

For this mix you need:

  • 10 drops of valerian (flower extract)
  • a liter of water

Mix the valerian drops well with the water and then add the mixture to the respective spray mixture.

Prevent rose rust

Because rose rust uses the plants as a host plant from spring through fall, prevention is the best measure against infection.

selection and plants

  • plant resistant varieties (ADR roses)
  • choose a sunny location
  • leave enough space between the roses (good air circulation)

maintenance

  • Fertilize roses regularly (potassium, little nitrogen)
  • water directly at the roots
  • Do not wet leaves

Notice: Heed these tips, strengthen the roses and ensure that the leaves can dry off quickly. This takes away the moist environment from the rose red, in which the mushrooms feel particularly comfortable.

remove leaves

Remove fallen leaves regularly, especially in the fall. Because the fungi or their black spores overwinter on fallen leaves. Then dispose of the rose leaves in the household waste so that the spores are not spread by the wind. If it is an infected rose, those leaves that are still attached to the stems should also be removed in autumn.

strengthen roses

In addition to the right fertilizer, natural home remedies can also strengthen the roses:

  • Water regularly with horsetail and nettle liquid manure
  • Spray roses weekly with horsetail broth
  • Put garlic between the rose bushes (contains "natural fungicides")

frequently asked Questions

When should I spray my roses preventively?

You can inject natural home remedies from the end of April if you don't discover the typical damage before that. When checking, pay special attention to the fungus when the first leaves form. Because these are easily infected in the early stages.

Can rose rust also spread to other plants?

Rose rust are host-loyal fungi. This means that the spores will spread to other rose bushes, but not to non-Rosa plants. For example, if you have wild roses in the garden, you should also check them for rust so that they don't infect your ornamental roses.

Does milk help against rose rust?

A mixture of organic fresh milk and water is also said to help against rose rust. Mix the two liquids in a ratio of 1:7 and spray the rose with it.

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Category:

Garden plants