Black Spot on Roses Vinegar (Powerful Way to a Healthy Rose)

Roses are magnificent flowers loved by everyone. They grow fast and are easy to take care of. But that doesn’t mean that rose plants don’t get any diseases.

Black spots disease is one of the most common diseases of roses. Although they’re not fatal if you catch the disease at an early stage. But how do you treat this disease?

The answer is black spot on roses vinegar. Yeah, it might sound strange but that’s it.

Well, don’t worry because in this well-crafted piece we’ll discuss everything from the vinegar solution to the prevention methods.

So, without further delay, let’s jump right into the details-

What is Black Spot Disease

Black spot disease, also known as Diplocarpon rosae is a fungal disease.  Black spot fungus on roses is caused by a common fungus that thrives all kinds of situations such as warm, wet, or humid.

The spots usually appear in mid-summer depending on the weather conditions. Warm and humid weather is favorable to this fungus. But if we’re being honest this fungus can survive in any weather condition.

The most common symptom of this is rose leaves turning black. The fungus starts off as small black spots on rose leaves. If you see brown spots on rose leaves it means the disease is still in its early stage.

Eventually, you’ll see yellow leaves on roses and black spots. After that, the leaves fall off the plant. The spots are usually seen on the upper side of the leaves.

Although yellow spots on rose leaves might indicate black spot disease. But if you see red spots on rose leaves, it can be a whole different case.

Extra Symptoms

Here’s the thing-

It can occur on the lower sides too. Sometimes you’ll also see black spots on rose stems. And when the disease is advanced, you’ll see black spot on rose petals. Also, don’t be surprised if you see black spot on rose canes.

The outer edge of the spots is kind of ragged or fluffy, surrounded by a yellow ring. The spots start at the lower leaves and slowly work their way up. The worst part is the fungus can attack newborn leaves too.

As time passes, the spots grow larger and merge with each other. Most of the time the diseased leaves fall off the plant. However, if you don’t do a check on the plant from time to time, the entire plant can die.

Moreover, the young canes are susceptible to this disease. Infected canes show dark purple or black colored blisters. Sometimes the flowers have red spotting.

When a plant gets infected, it will produce fewer flower buds. On top of that, the plants get stressed as the leaves fall off. This makes the plant vulnerable to a whole different set of problems.

Primary Reason

A lot of gardeners wonder why their roses are suddenly getting black spots. They suddenly start to see black spot on their knockout roses, climbing roses, drift roses. Even though a lot of rose species can tackle the disease easily, none of them are immune to it.

Well, black spots aren’t that much of a danger to your plants. If your plant is strong and healthy it won’t be a problem for it.

However, it does need regular inspections. If you leave your plant unchecked, it can infect other plants and completely defoliate the plant.

By now you know that a fungus named Diplocarpon rosae is responsible for the disease. But how does it spread?

Well, air circulation plays a big role here. You see, this fungus can travel in the air quite easily. So, when your rose plants are placed close to each other, it makes the spreading process even easier.

Moreover, when the affected leaves fall off the plant and lay on the ground, it can survive for a long time. It grabs onto another plant as soon as it gets the chance.

The Vinegar Solution

This solution is quite simple, and it works great. When treating black spot on roses, baking soda and vinegar should be your go-to solution.

You just have to mix vinegar and baking soda together. Although you can use apple cider vinegar for black spot on roses if you want. And after a few weeks, the disease will go away. So, let’s see how you can make it.

How It’s Made

• First, take 1½ tablespoon of baking soda and put it in one gallon of water. You should avoid using warm water. Coldwater usually works best for this solution.
• After you’ve put the baking soda in the water, it’s time to mix it. Remember to gently stir the vinegar in the mix and not shake it. Shaking it can cause something like a little volcano. Well, don’t worry it won’t have lava.
• Now that you’ve stirred the mix for 5 to 6 minutes, pour it into a bottle spray. That’s it, you’re done.

How It Works

When you mix acid and base together, these two cancel out each other and you get water with a neutral pH. So, how does it work for black spots on roses?

You see, mixing vinegar and baking soda produces water, carbon dioxide (it bubbles away), and sodium acetate. In this case, sodium acetate is the active ingredient of the solution.

Sodium acetate can work as a fungicide. When you spray the solution on the plant for a few weeks, the spots slowly go away.

There’s also a solution that contains only vinegar as a black spot on roses remedy. But we must advise you against it. The thing is vinegar is used for killing weeds or grass. So, when you use that solution on your roses, chances are they’ll die.

However, you can use the only vinegar solution for controlling weed in your yard. Just don’t use it on your rose plants.

Other Solutions

The vinegar solution is undoubtedly a great method. But there are other ways of treating black spots on roses. So, if you think that you’ll go another method, read on to find out about them. Here are some of the most useful black spot on roses treatment.

1. Baking Soda and Water

This formula is quite good for treating black spots on roses. You’ll find out that a lot of forums on the internet suggest this formula.

So, if you want an absolute cure black spots on roses, this is it.  We’ll even say that this is the best treatment for black spot on roses.

Turns out this solution is not that hard to make. You’ll only need 4 ingredients. These are-

• 1 quarter of water.
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
• 2 drops of liquid soap.
• Horticultural oil(optional).

The process is quite easy too. You just have to mix everything in a bottle and spray. Spraying every 3 to 4 days in the early morning will get rid of any black spots.

However, you shouldn’t use horticultural oil if you have sulfur in your garden. You see when you mix sulfur and horticultural oil it can become toxic. So, wait for 30 days if you have sulfur in your garden.

Moreover, horticultural oil can kill off any kind of insects, good or bad. So, if you don’t have an insect problem you don’t really need to use horticultural oil. But if you do decide to use horticultural oil, you can try light-weight summer oil.

2. Milk and Water

When you think of a cure for black spot roses milk can be a great solution. A lot of people say that this solution can solve the problem if you use it once a week for a few weeks.

It’s quite easy to make too. You need to mix 2 parts of water and 1-part milk in a bottle. Spray the solution once a week and you’ll be good to go.

So, what makes this simple solution work?

The thing is milk contains something called lactoferrin. Lactoferrin works against bacteria and fungus, making the black spots on rose bush leaves go away.

Although, if you ask us whether you should use raw milk or pasteurized milk, we’ll tell you to go for raw milk. There isn’t much research about this topic, but raw milk should deliver benefits considering its nature.

3. Neem Oil

Neem oil for black spots on roses can work great. This is an effective ‘black spot on roses home remedy’. It’s extracted from the seeds of the neem tree. And this oil is quite effective against fungus and bacteria.

But the best part is, you don’t have to coat every part of the plant or recoat the plant when it rains. You see, the oil gets soaked into the plant’s system, so it makes things a lot easier. Then the oil prevents any kind of black spots from forming.

Although you need to be careful about spraying on plants that get a lot of sunlight. Despite working great as a fungicide, it makes the plant vulnerable to sunburn.

Also, make sure to know how much neem oil you need to use as they come in various strengths.

Prevention

Well, the truth is if you have roses, chances are you’ll have to black spots one day or another. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take any preventive measures.

If you have black spots on roses, control should be your priority. However, these measures can reduce the chance of getting rose black spot disease.

Water Your Plants Properly

The fungus responsible for black spot disease needs 7 hours of uninterrupted exposure to water for sprouting. So, it’s better if you water the plants in the morning. This way the plants will have enough time to dry off before the fungus has a chance to grow.

Although the matter goes out of your hand if it rains in the night or evening.

Lastly, use water only on the soil. A lot of people like to spray water on the leaves, but it just escalates the fungus’s growth process. Moreover, it is not good for rose fungus control.

Start a Preventive Treatment

If black spots disease has attacked your garden a few times before it’s better to take some preventive measures. There are a few options available for you.

When you’re thinking of a preventive measure for black spots on roses fungicide is a great option. You can choose an organic, non-chemical fungicidal spray or a chemical fungicidal spray. Both works great. It all really depends on you.

Although if you have a case of drift roses black spot you don’t need to spray. They’ll get better on their own.

So, if you don’t want to go through the hassle of making an organic spray, you can buy one online. There are plenty of rose black spot spray online. If you ask us what pesticide kills rose black spot? Here are some of the best pesticides in the market.

Keep Your Humidity in Check

You need to keep the humidity in check if you want your plants to stay healthy. You see, humidity plays quite a big role in preventing disease. As we’ve mentioned earlier, the fungus spores can travel through air.

So, when the humidity isn’t under control it can escalate the spreading process. Keeping a humidity meter can help you detect the humidity in air. And to keep things under control try using a dehumidifier too.

Place Your Plants the Right Way

One mistake a lot of people make is, they place their plants too close to each other. You see, black spot disease can travel through air and water. So, when you crowd the plants it lets the fungus spread more freely.

Another thing to keep in mind is, never to put your plant in a place where it’ll get too much shade. The thing is, too much shade won’t let the water dry off quickly, resulting in the growth of fungus.

Keep the Garden Clean

Regular cleaning up of the garden is a must for preventing black spot disease. Never leave any fallen leaves on the ground, especially during the winter and fall. The spores usually get active in this season so, don’t forget to keep your garden neat and clean.

Lastly, apply a fresh layer of mulch on the ground to protect you from rose bush fungus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Black spot vs Cercospora leaf spot on roses?

Ans: Black spot disease is caused by a fungus called Diplocarpon rosae, whereas a fungus named Cercospora rosicola is responsible for Cercospora leaf spot disease.

Q: How to get rid of black spots on roses?

Ans: Mix vinegar, baking soda, and water in a bottle. Then, gently stir the mix. Now, spray the solution once a week for a few weeks to get rid of any black spots.

Conclusion

So, that’s all we had to say about black spot on roses. We hope you’ve found out everything you needed to know about this disease. Now, you can even advise others on black spot on roses vinegar.

But before wrapping up, a word of advice for you, regularly check the conditions of your plants. Regular inspection can save a lot of money and effort for you.