Question
QUESTION: Hi Lynnette,
I have 4 rose bushes. THe climber got infected with green worms that eat the leaves until they're lacey, and this spread to the other 3 bushes. Nothing seems to get rid of them. I prefer to use something natural as I'm sensitive to toxins, but if necessary prefer granules to sprays.
two of the plants also have some white powdery mildew that starts to curl leaves and ruins the buds. I sprayed soapy water on them, to no avail.
Thank you.

ANSWER: Most of the wormlike things you see on a rose bush are caterpillars. They are going through a stage to be a moth or a butterfly. Which means they will not be around for long because moths or butterflies will not eat roses. To main way to get rid of any caterpillar is to smother them. Using a spray with oil in it does the job. Mix up 1 tablespoon horticultural oil ( I find Canola oil is as light and works as well)
1 quart of warm water so the oil will mix better
Just a few drops of liquid soap as a sticker
Don't forget to also spray all around the base of the rose bush as they could be coming up from there.
In regards to the mildew, try this and spray daily until it is gone.
1 tablespoon of baking soda
1 quart of water
Weather is the main reason a plant will get mildew and in the spring, this is not unusual.


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QUESTION: thanks Lynnette,
Can I mix the baking soda into the oil mix, since they all have worms and two have mildew? by the way, it's been very hot in L.A., so I was surprised about the mildew.
These caterpillars have no fur and there're hundreds of them. I'll try your method, and let you know if it works.

ANSWER: Sure, go ahead and put the baking soda in with the oil mix but you will have to increase the water to 2 quarts as the mix will be too strong if you don't. If the weather is hot where you garden ,but if the nights are cooler, than this is ideal for mildew conditions.

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QUESTION: i thought it worked but found another big one a few days ago. how often should I spray? BTW i also added "Safer" which I'd tried unsuccessfully in the past.

Answer
Warms are simply hatched larvae which will be in the soil at the base of the rose. They are hatching into caterpillars and then climbing up the rose bush to eat the leaves. Make sure you look around the base and check to see if there are any crawling around there. Then use your Safers spray. Caterpillars don't last long because they will become a moth of some kind but the soil is where they hide when they are larvae or not eating.