Monty Don shares instant black spot action as he warns of ‘problem’ with roses

Monty Don, the revered garden guru and TV presenter, has imparted his wisdom on combatting the dreaded black spot on roses as British weather takes a turn for the worse.

The unsightly fungus, known for dark blemishes on rose foliage which eventually lead to leaf fall ahead of autumn, remains a common headache for gardeners nationwide.

Dispensing his knowledge, the 69 year old host of Gardeners’ World observed that tackling black spot comes down to personal tolerance levels for unsightliness in the garden.

Monty divulged, “A lot of plants get black spot, but it doesn’t affect the flowering and doesn’t affect the health of the plant. It’s just unsightly and that, personally, I can tolerate.”

Highlighting a more dire scenario, he advised, “If it’s defoliating completely, if a plant is suffering and looking bad, and other roses near it are not suffering from it, then that’s because the plant is particularly prone to it, so just get rid of it.”, reports .

For those facing a widespread affliction among their rose collection, Monty underscored the severity of the issue, warning “you’ve got a problem”.

In light of increasing warm and damp conditions, the seasoned horticulturalist warned listeners to anticipate “more fungal problems, not less”, emphasising a proactive approach in prevention.

He elaborated further during the Gardeners’ World Magazine podcast: “The only practical thing you can do is, don’t water overhead. You can’t stop the rain, but don’t wet the leaves, keep the leaves dry.”

“To mitigate the issue,” Monty suggested, “So water at the base, gather up all the affected leaves that drop and burn them, don’t put them on the composite.”

Monty continued sharing invaluable insights into gardening practices appropriate as winter approaches.

He advised: “In winter, rake the ground around the plant thoroughly to disturb the spores. Leave it bare over the winter months, then mulch it thickly in early spring,” he shared.

“And the cold, if we get a really cold snap, that will affect the spores that will be in the ground.”

“But, the truth is, if you live with roses, you live with it to a certain extent.”