Knockout Rose Skeletonized Leaves: Rose Slugs, Not Caterpillars

Correct Pest ID

Second-year Knockout has lace-like leaves (veins only). New growth OK, blooming. No caterpillars seen. Owner uses no chemical fertilizers.

Garlic spray: 8 oz crushed garlic in pantyhose, squeeze juice into 1 gal water + liquid seaweed.
Coffee spray: Strong cold-brew coffee, spray late day.
Coffee grounds around base, worked in.
Prune damaged leaves, encourage new growth.
Root cause: Low Brix (mineral/sugar level). Build soil with compost, rock dust, organic fertilizer.

Healthy, mineralized roses resist slugs naturally.

Roses: Saving a Split Trunk on a Knockout Tree Rose; Winter Watering for Knock Out Roses in Atlanta: Less Is More; Knock Out Rose Tree Planted Outdoors Shows No Growth; Treating Rose Slugs on New Knockout Tree Rose; Flower Carpet Rose Sending 2.5-Ft Canes After Hard Prune: Genetic Habit; Knockout Rose Branches Growing Outward, Not Up: Prune to Shape; Transparent Rose Leaves in PA: Rose Slugs, Not Leaf Miners; Sunburn vs. Mildew: Diagnosing Leaf Discoloration After Spring Pruning; Overwintering Knock Out Roses in Raised Planters: Mulch and Fertilizer Timing; Knockout Roses: Slow Growth After Transplant – Feeder Root Recovery

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