Question
QUESTION: I have 12 knockout rose bushes...6 of them have been flourishing and blooming steadily for the past 4 years.  Last summer 6 of them stopped blooming the end of June and did not resume.  The plants look healthy and grow but the new growth (where buds start to appear) just dries up before the blooms come out.  The local garden center told me to use Bayer Advanced all in one Rose and Flower.  I did that 2 weeks ago and see no change.  Any ideas?
Thank you in advance for any help you can give.
Marjorie
Columbus Ohio

ANSWER: There is a tiny little insect called a rose midge which lays it's eggs at the base of the rose buds and when they hatch they eat and destroy the bud and many times the flower also. Take off all the buds that have been damaged and then use your spray to protect the new ones coming along. Also make sure you spray all around the base of the rose bush as that is where they go to hide or pupate. If you look closely you should be able to see a tiny pinpoint of a hole at the base of a rose bud. If you do then take that one off as it has been damaged.

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QUESTION: Is there one spray that you would recommend?

Answer
Rose Midges and Thrips are so tiny that they can hide and so are hardest insects to get rid of. You need a spray that is a systemic. That means when you spray it gets into the sap of the rose so when the midges or thrips bite they get poisoned. I would try and see if Ortho's Systemic Insect Spray is still on the market. So many of the good but nasty sprays have been recalled or taken off the market. No matter what spray you get just make sure it is a systemic type.