Prevention

• 1). Choose a sunny location. Roses fare well in full sun, in soil that is rich and well-drained, and planted about 3 feet apart. This enables the rose plants to get good air circulation between the plants.
  
  
• 2). Irrigate properly. Roses need a lot of water, but sprinklers allow the plants to get too much water on the leaves. Also, sprinklers encourage some fungi, and with an automatic watering system, drip irrigation works better. Create your own drip irrigation by putting a series of punctures in a buried hose line.
  
  
• 3). Prune and clear. The roses need to be pruned carefully, making sure to remove all of all the clippings; this is especially important when pruning away diseased leaves, flowers and stems since they can still spread an infection.
  
  
• 4). Spray lime-sulfur mixture. In the early spring, the spraying of a lime-sulfur mixture helps to prevent attacks of fungi.