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Hi my name is Chelsea. I have a plant my friend's mother gave me that she got from the 99 cent store. she said it is called a miniature rose bush. well it just recently started growing a lot of new leaves but on these leaves little white specks are appearing. they will not rub off. they are beginning to appear on every one of the leaves and I am afraid it may be some type of disease or mold. does anybody know what this might be and how to get rid of it?

also I was wondering if I could plant impatiens right now, if they would grow or not..

okay thanks!

actually let me correct myself. When the white specks first appear on a leaf, they will rub off. But if I leave them for a couple weeks the specks stay permanently.

Hmm... they/it may be a type of mold...
try washing the plant VERY lightly with soapy water.. like on a Q-tip or something...

Not that sure; someone who knows more will come along soon

Could be a type of insect that sucks the juice out of the leaves. If that's the case, insecticidal soap should help get rid of them. At first when you can rub them off, that would be the insect. Then later when it won't come off, that's the damage left by the insect.

could you post a pic of it?? a good close-up of the white spots on the leaves would help to identify the problem.

barring that, roses can get a variety of diseases and bugs. it could be mold due to insufficient air circulation. is the plant in a spot that is NOT directly against a wall? by that i mean that is should be at least 6 inches away from a wall or similar that would block air movement.

also, is it getting enough light?

what about watering? is any water splashing on to the leaves?? that can cause a problem if the plant is watered late in the day and then sits with the water on the leaves overnight. (always water roses no later than early afternoon.)

the plant has plenty of air movement around it. I'm not sure if it's getting the right amount of light, although it is growing fine. I am going to try gently washing the leaves and I will also try to get a picture to put up

Hi chelsea714!!!! Mini roses are prone to powdery mildew, spider mites, and aphids when grown indoors(also need constant humidity). It is a good idea to plant them in the ground as soon as possible and they will come back each year. You can prune them back & they will grow new leaves all spring & summer. I just pop the old blooms off with my thumb and forefinger. Mine have been in the ground for 4 years so far & come back every year just as pretty as the first. I will admit I killed 2 other mini roses before I really knew how to take care of them, they both got spidermites in my house, don't know how but it really frustrated me. So I decided to buy 2 more & plant them outside immediately & they have been growing great ever since.Your problem sounds like powdery mildew.You can try to rinse the leaves off underwater, but I think the best answer is to plant them outdoors, they require A LOT of care indoors, and require little care outdoors.