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| Rose Powdery Mildew |
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The spores spend winter resting on fallen leaves, young stems, and in buds.
In spring, the over- wintered spores are spread by the wind to infect the young leaves that are just appearing.
Like rust, this fungus grows only on living host tissue.
It is recognised as white powdery spores on the surface of the leaves, these then spread further and affect the buds.
Powdery mildews are worse during drought conditions when the plants are stressed due to lack of water.
Regular watering and the application of a mulch can help alleviate this.
Early pruning can help to control the problem by removing the stems where they are located.
Remove all prunings and fallen leaves on completion of this task and destroy.
Otherwise use a suitable fungicides, organic gardeners can use sulphur dust.
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