Question
Hi Lynette...

My indoor mini rosebush has what appears to be rust -- red spots on the leaves, then they turn yellow and fall off.

Given that I can't spray it indoors, what is the best possible treatment?  Thanks

Answer
Little mini roses hate to be grown inside even though the they tell you they can be grown inside. What they dislike is the dry atmosphere of a house and this causes them to weaken and then disease sets in. Rust is hard to get rid of but here is what you can do to keep it under control. Pick off ALL the leaves and cut back the plant back by a half. Give the plant some fertilizer(any houseplant type will do) then spray once a week for a month, with a spray call Funginex. Roses love to have cool roots and most minis are in a pot that is far too small for the roots and this keeps them warm. That also leads to disease problems. So it would be a good idea to plant the rose in a larger pot using potting soil. Wait a day after spraying and then mist the plant daily.
As you can see it is a lot of trouble and if the plant doesn't have a sentimental value, I would start with a new one and if you re-pot it you will have far less problems. Hope this helps. Lynnette