Question
Hi.  I pruned all of my rose bushes yesterday and noticed that some of the stems were almost black.  Should I be worried?  They had quite a bit of black spot last year.. how can I prevent this from happening again this year?

Thanks.

Answer
Pick up all pruned pieces and any leaves from last year. Spray the canes with liquid sulfur. When the canes leaf out spray the leaves with sulfur also. During the year get a systemic fungicide and inseticide combination for roses and spray monthly. Any leaves that get spots this year prune off and distroy. This should take care of your problem.