Search Gardening Tips Tips for Your Rose Garden by Dr. Garden Roses are one of the first flowers to leaf out and bloom in the spring. Since they are early, they also are attacked heavily by powdery mildew and aphids. Powdery mildew is the whitish area that appears on the new leaf growth. Aphids are generally found on the rose buds an if populations are high they will destroy early blossoms.
Hand held sprayers are ideal or use a regular pump type of sprayer.
Fungi-Fighter is your best defense against powdery mildew on roses. Use a hand held or pump sprayer to thoroughly saturate the entire leaf surface of the rose. Repeat at 3 week intervals throughout the powdery mildew season. Downy mildew also attacks roses in certain areas. Aliette is one of the few products available to control downy mildew.