Wicker patio furniture is different from buying any other type of outdoor patio furniture. It is important to know a lot about the subject before spending any money. Choosing and buying Wicker patio furniture is not as easy as one might think.

Just because it is a natural material, it does not make it automatically weatherproofed. Instead, this type of natural wood furniture can easily be harmed by the weather elements, in addition to dust and sand. Therefore, knowing as much as you can about it and understanding that there will be maintenance involved is important.

To begin with, you must clean it on a regular basis. That means vacuuming it in order to remove the dust and any food that may have fallen into the woven fibers. Allowing those things to sit inside will damage and weaken those fibers. Instead of letting it sit out and facing all the weather elements when it is being used, cover it up. This will avoid any problems with excessive dust, as well as rain. Additionally, you should keep it in a place that is sheltered from the wind. This will also avoid a lot of dust from entering the Wicker fibers. In the wintertime, ensure that you store your furniture inside. It should be in a place where it is dry, and preferably covered.

If you happen to notice small circular black spots, your plant probably has what is known as the Black Spot. The spots have fringed edges, and are a sign of a disease. Artificial sprays may be used to treat the spots, but the affected leaves should be removed from the plant, as remaining leaves will allow the disease to spread to the rest of the plant.

If you start to see a white powder on the canes of the roses, or if they seem stunted or malformed, they may have what is knows as powdery mildew. This fungal infection of the flowers is spread by the wind, and can cause the leaves to curl and turn purple. Funginex or Benomyl can be used to treat this.

Also know as rust, you may notice that the leaves on your roses may have orange-red blisters on them that turn black in the fall. It is important to remove these leaves in the fall, as the diesase can survive the winter and spread to new plants in the spring. A spray every 7-10 days with Funginex or Benomyl could help.