Question
I live in zone 7, I think, in Hillsboro, Oregon. I have 3 Constance Spry bushes that have a blight of some sort. Every year I swear I will take them out but every year they grow beautiful lush foliage, dozens of blooms, only to be covered in a mushy blight of some sort. I spray with a fungicide, I do NOT water overhead, I cut out the diseased buds and get no where. What if I pruned the bushes way back to 6-8 inches in the spring? Would that help? With our mild winters, I generally don't prune back severely. Any suggestions? Thank you so much for your help. Rita Benson

Answer
Roses mainly suffer from fungal infections which can be kept under control but not completly cured. A mushy blight suggests two things. One that there is something in the soil that infects the rose plant or it has botrytis. Botrytis is also a fungus but it tends to rot the foliage instead of just sitting on it.
Fungal spores are in the air and when they land on a rose leaf they start their life cycle. It is too late to spray when you see evidence of a fungus as it has done it's dirty by then.
If you have a problem with your roses then try this and I think you will see a difference. If you don't see an improvement, then the problem is in the soil and you may have to dig the roses up, replace the soil and replant.
Fungus gets immuned to the same fungicide so get two different types such as Funginex and Maneb. Spray weekly as soon as the roses leaf out. Don't forget to also spray all around the base of the rose plants as spores can be there too. Spray weekly for a month and then every two weeks for another month. By then if you don't have a clean rose when you would normally see a problem it will definately be in the soil. Hope this helps. Lynnette