Red leaves on roses: how to react correctly

Roses can be found in almost every garden in this country. However, the ornamental plant is also very susceptible to diseases that can lead to leaf discoloration, among other things. Should you do that, your roses will get red leaves.

causes

The causes of the discoloration of the usually dark green leaves are varied. In most cases, however, the origin is an infestation by fungal spores or viruses.

The most common causes of red leaves on roses are diseases such as mosaic disease, bark / burn spot disease, the Rose rust and the red pustel mushroom.

Mosaic disease

Mosaic Disease is compared to many others

Diseases transmitted by viruses. In most cases, the disease can already be recognized by the reddish leaves in spring. The pattern is reminiscent of that of a mosaic. In addition, the leaf veins have a yellowish color in advanced stages and thus stand out clearly. If the disease persists, the leaf structure becomes more wavy.

The consequences of not treating Mosaic Disease are:

• Slowing down of plant development
• Formation of smaller leaves and flowers
• defoliate
• decreasing performance of the immune system
• increased risk of infection for other diseases

Bark / burn spot disease (Coniothyrium fuckelii Sacc.)

Burn stain, also known as bark stain, occurs more frequently on stems and shoots, but can also spread to leaves and flowers. The red-brownish marks that appear give the impression of a burn injury and extend over several centimeters at the beginning. In the course of time, the "burn point" continues to expand and ensures that all the branches above die off. Cause of infection with the mushroom are contamination of sores on the plant. Old shoots are particularly susceptible to infection, but so are plants that are fertilized with a high concentration of nitrogen.

Rose rust (Phragmidium mucronatum)

This disease can be recognized in the early stages by orange or red spots on the tops of the leaves of your roses. As the fungal attack progresses, the individual spots flow into one another and form a uniform rust-red discoloration. Often the same-colored spore beds of the mushrooms stand out clearly from the leaf itself. On the underside of the leaf, an infestation usually only shows in strips and not continuously even in advanced stages. The range of consequences of this disease range from:

• Shedding of all leaves
• decreased plant growth
• No or only very little formation of new shoots and buds
• death of the plant

Red pustular disease (Nectria Cinnabrina)

The red pustel mushroom is generally a helpful supporter in the decomposition of dead wood. In addition to completely dead plant parts, in practice the spores also increasingly attack living areas and cause irreparable damage. The origin of an infection can often be found on dead branches left on roses.

Causes of dead branches can be:

• frost
• insufficient supply of nutrients
• lack of moisture
• natural selection of the plant
• existing disease or pest infestation

From this source of infection, the toxic substances of the red pustules spread over the plant veins within a very short time and ultimately lead to the death of the entire plant.

Treat illnesses

Regardless of the disease that has occurred, rapid treatment is an essential guarantee of success. With every day that goes by without proper treatment, the chance of the roses recovering decreases. This is mainly due to the weakening effect of the immune system and the increased susceptibility to other diseases.

For a successful treatment, the following tips should be used:

• When planting in pots: Move the plant as far as possible from other plants
• infested shoots, including the leaves and flowers, generously cut back
• Apply fungicide from specialist retailers according to the instructions on the packaging

In the case of an existing fungal or virus infestation, patience is required after treatment. The first signs of a survived infection such as the formation of new shoots are usually several weeks in coming. It may also be necessary to treat the rose again if the symptoms worsen again.

Note: Pay special attention not to dispose of the branches cut off from the infected plant in the compost, as otherwise there is a risk of renewed infection through fertilization.

Prevent

In most cases, a viral or fungal disease results from an open cut through which the pathogens can enter the plant. To reduce the risk of infection in particular with the necessary annually Cutbacks To reduce this, a few tips have proven effective in practice. How to prevent unwanted red leaves on your roses:

• only on dry and frost-free days
• It is essential to remove dead wood
• Use wound closure agents

Note: Liquid candle wax, charcoal powder, clay or animal dung are also suitable for optimal wound closure in addition to the commercially available agents.

In addition, plant-specific care helps to reduce susceptibility to diseases. In addition to choosing a suitable Location also play the watering and fertilization a crucial role. Since most mushrooms prefer moist conditions, it is best to concentrate watering only on the root area. Watering over the leaves over a large area should be avoided as far as possible.

Tip: In order to facilitate drying in heavy rainfall, the annual pruning of the plant should be used for thinning measures. As a result, this leads to increased ventilation of the individual shoots and thus to a faster drying process.

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