Blackspot Prevention

General
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I just posted about Blackspot prevention in the Introduce Yourself topic and I thought it would be beneficial and informative to find out how this rose community battles/prevents Blackspot.

Here is what I posted:

A simple thing I have done to prevent (or lessen) Blackspot is to clean out the very bottom of the bush. Usually there is a lot of non-productive growth located near the bud union and very low on the larger canes. I recommend removing all foliage that is within about 6 to 8 inches from the soil. This will improve air flow where the rose needs it most. Some rosarians don’t like this look (i.e., rose has “bare legs”) but it will help prevent Blackspot I promise you.

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When you mulch it for the season (I live in zone 6ish so we get snow and I have to wrap ours in burlap for winter), should you hill it up a bit on the trunk or no?

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For winter protection, if your bushes are fairly new, I would say hill up some - maybe 6 to 8 inches. My grafted bushes are entering their 4th winter and are well established - I won’t hill up at all for most - just 3 inches of mulch all over the rose beds. Known tender varieties - like Pristine and descendants - will receive a small mulch mound - an additional shovel full or two of mulch. In Zone 6 you should be fine - I’m in Zone 5.

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