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What makes rose buds turn brown?

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED DEC 10, 2018

This First Prize bud never got to bloom -- it's been infected by botrytis ci nerea. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

Rotten roses follow botrytis fungal outbreak

My bushes are full of rotten roses. I know I'm not alone.

Blame botrytis. That fungus put a real damper on my December garden. Warm weather in early November pushed out new growth and a late round of blooms, just in time for Christmas.

That got me excited. I could fill the house with holiday bouquets or bring arrangements to December gatherings. After an often-difficult year, my roses were going to be gorgeous.

Instead, Marilyn Monroe turned to mush. First Prize was a total loss. These beautiful big buds became brown and died before they ever opened. Other roses developed odd discolorations. Irresistible, a cute white mini, looks like it has measles. Bruises cover the petals of Pink Promise.

Ouch!

Marilyn Monroe is no beauty in this case.
Fog creates ideal conditions for botrytis.

Rain and fog brought on the outbreak, and this fungal infection quickly spread. The opportunistic spores are everywhere. Botrytis cinerea loves high humidity, according to the UC Cooperative Extension master gardeners. Nicknamed gray mold and blossom blight, this fungus can be a real problem for fruit growers in coastal areas. In cherry orchards, it rots blossoms and ruins the crop. Grape growers often have to deal with botrytis.

In Sacramento, it shows up in late fall to attack roses and other flowering shrubs. It forms masses of gray brown spores that can move around by wind or water. The spores linger on dead buds or fallen leaves, waiting for moisture before attacking the plant. During dry falls or winters, it's not an issue. But a blanket of fog creates ideal conditions.

If left to thrive, botrytis can cause twigs to die back and can damage new growth. The best solution? Trim out the problems.

The master gardeners recommend removing and disposing of fallen leaves and debris around plants. (Don't compost it; put it in the trash.) Also, prune out any dying twigs or blooms.

To help stop more fungal outbreaks, avoid overhead watering of roses. Prune to promote good air circulation around bushes. That's next month's job.

For more on botryits: https://bit.ly/2BaPgYq or http://ipm.ucanr.edu .

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

gardening Sacramento pruning fungus roses botrytis blooms humidity plant diseases

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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