help please for enthusiastic but clueless gardener - leaf mould

[baskingseals]

this is the first year i've had any time to dedicate to the garden.
have planted some beautiful old-fashioned roses, perfect roses, which now have leaf mould, or at least i think it is. what, if anything, can i do?

please help if you can.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Assuming you're not trying to garden organically, get hold of something like Rose Clear from a supermarket or garden centre, plus one of those pump-action spray bottles. Roses are a bugger for greenfly, blackspot, mildew etc. If it wasn't for the flowers they often wouldn't be worth the bother :) If the disease looks particularly bad, prune off the affected stems and dispose of them (not in your compost bin) before spraying.

[baskingseals]

thanks cogito, i was vaguely thinking of an organic solution, or rather one that i didn't have to go to the shops for, but for the sake of my new lovely roses i will get some rose clear.
will they recover?

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

They're pretty tough things, roses. Even if they look totally knackered, prune them moderately in the autumn, harder in the spring, and they should have clean new growth for next summer. Start spraying as soon as they get any decent growth and you can deal with pests before they get a foothold. I'm sure there are some organic solutions but every time I listen to people on GQT talking about squishing greenfly between fingers I rather go off the idea

[AnnetteTwitcher]

The things I put on my roses also include:
Manure - clear any dropped leaves first
Multirose - similar to Rose clear I think
Toprose - which is specific fertiliser

I heard that they also like coffee grounds due to the nitrogen levels so I collect mine up and dump out there once a week.. Not sure if it helps but certainly hasn't done any harm!

Roses are really greedy feeders so anything you can do to keep them fed and watered will help to keep them disease free.
HTH!

[mrsbrooks]

Leaf mould is a mildew so it's better to prevent than cure - make sure they are not crowded and in dark damp place. Can use a fungal spray when infected and before it strikes ie when temp drops