Preventive growing practices

Prevention remains the best way of combating insect pests and diseases that affect roses.

• Choose cultivars recognized for their resistance to common fungal diseases.
• Choose healthy, vigorous plants.
• Place them in an appropriate site (a sunny location with rich, well-drained soil).
• Maintain adequate spacing between plants to allow air to circulate and sunlight to penetrate.
• Plant a mixed border (roses, other shrubs, perennials, annuals, etc.) rather than a rose garden. A diversified habitat will attract natural predators.
• Keep your plants healthy by fertilizing them adequately and watering them during dry spells. Avoid wetting the foliage or handling plants while they are wet.
• Prune your roses every year to allow air and light to reach the centre of the plant. This will reduce the likelihood of fungal diseases.
• Disinfect your pruning tools regularly with rubbing alcohol.
• Weed regularly, for weeds can act as host plants for different parasites. Mulching is a good way to limit weeds.
• Inspect your roses regularly. By identifying symptoms caused by insect pests, a disease or poor growing conditions at the start, you can address the problem before it gets out of hand.

See the Pesticide-free Gardening - Naturally! leaflet for more ideas.