How to Take Care of Blight on Old Rose Bushes

Blight on old rose bushes is caused by bacteria, which results in dark spots on leaves, dying flowers and oozing branches. Although there is no cure for blight, with a little work, you can control the disease with minimal harm to the rose bushes. Clipping affected areas, drying the leaves and using a commercial bactericide are all common ways to take care of blight on old rose bushes. Use these easy methods to make your old rose bushes as good as new.

Clean, dry cloths

Pruning shears

Denatured alcohol

Blight bactericide

Dry the leaves of all affected rose bushes with a clean, dry cloth. Standing water on the leaves is the main culprit of blight disease.

Use clean pruning shears to remove infected leaves and stems. Cut at least 8 inches up from the infected parts, to make sure all of the blight is removed from the rose bushes.

Burn the infected leaves, branches and the cloth you used to dry the rose bushes. Do not leave them on the ground where the blight can spread to other plants. Instead, move them far away and burn them to make sure the disease is destroyed.

Combine three parts denatured alcohol with one part water. Clean the pruning shears with the solution. This will prevent the blight spreading to other rose bushes or plants through contaminated shears. Wipe the shears dry after cleaning. Household bleach may be used in place of denatured alcohol, if necessary, to sanitize the pruning shears. Combine one part bleach with three parts water and apply to the shears, and then wipe clean.

Use a commercial bactericide formulated for blight disease on the old rose bushes, as a last resort. Bactericides can be found in local home and garden shops, and sometimes hardware stores. Follow the manufacturer's directions.

Prevent future outbreaks of blight on old rose bushes by watering from the bottom, and not allowing water to stand on the leaves.