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Black spot misery

We have a large climbing rose up the front of our house (my partners mum planted it years and years and years ago), but since she passed it hasn't got much attention. It was getting rather sprawley so around a month ago I decided to prune it in the hope of neatening it up and promoting some new growth. Shortly after cutting we had 2 weeks of almost none stop rain! got very excited about an abundance of new growth, but this morning I noticed black spots covering almost ALL of it!!!! Given it a very severe chop back and eradicated all of the leaves with black spot On (nearly the entire bloody thing!) but genuinely heart broken over how bare and sparse it now looks :( my question is - have I killed it or will it recover?! How can I prevent this happening again, and are there any tips on promoting new growth?! Amateur gardener error, just trying to tell myself it's a learning process! 

Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,504

    last year I had dreadful black spot on a rose. It had,even got into the branches! I was going to dump it but I couldn't bear to. So I pruned it very hard and have sprayed it with fungicide fortnightly since the buds appeared. The growth is lush and full of flower buds. I may have been lucky as it was never prone to black spot before.

    Anyway it sounds to me like you might have done the right thing. Spray it with fungicide when the bees aren't about. If it rains soon after, you will need to do it again.

    Good luck!

    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Flowerlover3Flowerlover3 Posts: 219

    I don't know if you've killed it, I doubt it but someone more knowledgeable will be along to answer that one. I do know a bit about controlling blackspot. Never use chemical controls for this as that has caused a crisis with our bees. Clear away all the leaves from the soil under the rose and burn them, don't put them in the compost and wash the secateurs you pruned it with in bleach. Mulch thickly so that the black spot spores in the soil can't be splashed back onto the rose when it rains. As soon as new leaves appear spray them weekly on both sides and also the stems of the rose with

    Week One -Dilute 1 tablespoons Sulphur of Flowers per litre of water  

    Week Two - 1 teaspoon of Bicarbonate of soda and a drop of washing up liquid.in per litre of water

    Week Three - 100ml of semi skimmed milk per litre of water

    Also feed your rose with rose or tomato food with seaweed.

  • thank you both so much for your help!! going to try treat it today. crossing my fingers and hoping for the best!! despite 90% of the leaves being affected the stems seem to be untouched, which I'm fairly surprised at (but certainly glad!) thanks again, hope I see some new (healthy)!) growth over summer! 

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