Leaf Browning Due to Insecticide

Q. I am hoping you can advise me on how to save my rose bushes I planted last spring. I sprayed my them accidentally with a concentrated insecticide, not diluted. The next morning the leaves looked like wilted spinach and I cried. Will the bushes die?  A friend told me I should have applied it to the soil.

Rose leaf scorch and death due to concentrated insecticide application. They will grow back.

A. They will come back. You burned the leaves with the concentrated insecticide. You should see new leaves and growth popping out in a week or so. During this time be careful not to overwater. Water them normally or even less often if they do not have leaves.

Always follow the label directions when applying and don’t listen to friends. Application depends on the insecticide. Some insecticides are root systemic and applied on the soil around the roots and watered in. Others are foliar and applied to the leaves.

You do not know which is which unless you read the label. The label will tell you how to apply it, when to apply and the application rate.