Black spot on roses: ladybugs and DE?

[clport]

So, I want to fight the nasty little buggies and diseases as naturally as possible. I've got black spot on almost all my roses, so I sprayed them with a mix of 2 tsp. horticultural oil and 2 tsp. baking soda in one gallon of water. I'm also removing all the old mulch in their flower bed. I am also contemplating dusting DE under and on top of the new mulch I put down in that bed. I also have purchased a bag of ladybugs to release. My question is will the DE hurt the ladybugs? I need the DE because the slugs and snails are feasting on the new leaves of my phloxes which are planted near the roses.
Love this place. I've learned a lot from the posts. Thanks!
Carol

 

[hoodat]

So, I want to fight the nasty little buggies and diseases as naturally as possible. I've got black spot on almost all my roses, so I sprayed them with a mix of 2 tsp. horticultural oil and 2 tsp. baking soda in one gallon of water. I'm also removing all the old mulch in their flower bed. I am also contemplating dusting DE under and on top of the new mulch I put down in that bed. I also have purchased a bag of ladybugs to release. My question is will the DE hurt the ladybugs? I need the DE because the slugs and snails are feasting on the new leaves of my phloxes which are planted near the roses.
Love this place. I've learned a lot from the posts. Thanks!
Carol

Try a pie pan full of stale beer for trapping snails and slugs. They can't resist the beer odor. Dark beer is best. I don't know if it's poisonous to them or they get drunk and drown but it does the job. Check it each morning and dipose of the ones with a hangover. Sometimes they can recover and crawl away if you don't check it once a day.

 

[clport]

I'd use the beer fix if we drank beer, but we don't and I don't want to go buy it just to make it go stale and use in the flower bed. I've seen that suggestion on here a lot. I'm specifically asking about DE with ladybugs since I have lots of DE and I know it works well with the slugs and snails from past experience. Thanks for the suggestion, though!

 

[patandchickens]

Black spot on roses is a *fungal* disease.... the relevance of ladybugs here is not clear to me?

Dusting DE on your mulch is unlikely to do much about slugs/snails, IMO. Be hard on insects, though, many of which are beneficials. You might consider surrounding each phlox plant (or clump thereof) with a copper barrier.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[vfem]

Black spot on roses is a *fungal* disease.... the relevance of ladybugs here is not clear to me?

Dusting DE on your mulch is unlikely to do much about slugs/snails, IMO. Be hard on insects, though, many of which are beneficials. You might consider surrounding each phlox plant (or clump thereof) with a copper barrier.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

I think she is saying she's using the baking soda mix for the fungus. The lady bugs are another attempt at pest control. She's looking for advice on MANY ways to treat both pests and diseases.

I use a bit of DE sprinkled on the ground for slugs and other bugs, I spray Neem oil to control fungus and some oyster shell to also help with snails and slugs. I still have aphid issues.

As for lady bugs, they eat breed and leave! Meaning to get some control for a week and then they are GONE. I really think they are a waste of money in my opinion.

 

[clport]

Black spot on roses is a *fungal* disease.... the relevance of ladybugs here is not clear to me?

Dusting DE on your mulch is unlikely to do much about slugs/snails, IMO. Be hard on insects, though, many of which are beneficials. You might consider surrounding each phlox plant (or clump thereof) with a copper barrier.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

I'm not using the lady bugs for the black spot. I've got aphids all around that bed, too, and want the LBs to eat the bad bugs. DE has worked splendidly for me for a few years in slug/snail control.

 

[hoodat]

Black spot on roses is a *fungal* disease.... the relevance of ladybugs here is not clear to me?

Dusting DE on your mulch is unlikely to do much about slugs/snails, IMO. Be hard on insects, though, many of which are beneficials. You might consider surrounding each phlox plant (or clump thereof) with a copper barrier.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

I think she is saying she's using the baking soda mix for the fungus. The lady bugs are another attempt at pest control. She's looking for advice on MANY ways to treat both pests and diseases.

I use a bit of DE sprinkled on the ground for slugs and other bugs, I spray Neem oil to control fungus and some oyster shell to also help with snails and slugs. I still have aphid issues.

As for lady bugs, they eat breed and leave! Meaning to get some control for a week and then they are GONE. I really think they are a waste of money in my opinion.

You're right. Lady bugs migrate to greener pastures when the aphids get scarce in your garden and you often get another build up after they leave. we have plenty of natural ones around here. We don't have to buy them.. Parasitic wasps do a better year round job but they're so tiny you often don't know they're around. Letting dill go to seed keeps them happy. They use pollen and nectar from it at one stage in their life. Queen Anne's lace is even better but watch out for it. It can become a pesky weed.

 

[clport]

thanks for the welcome, Vfem!
I am also going to plant fennel, dill and yarrow in the flower bed to keep the ladybugs happy. I'm hoping to establish a ladybug colony by giving them what the like and not have them "eat, breed and leave". They will also eat mildew, which we have plenty of around here in this wet climate.

 

[hoodat]

I'd use the beer fix if we drank beer, but we don't and I don't want to go buy it just to make it go stale and use in the flower bed. I've seen that suggestion on here a lot. I'm specifically asking about DE with ladybugs since I have lots of DE and I know it works well with the slugs and snails from past experience. Thanks for the suggestion, though!

Well no wonder they're acting onery if you won't spring for a beer now and then.