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Thu, Feb 6, 14 at 10:31
| We have a 40+ year old White Masterpiece growing in clay soil. If I grab hold of a firm cane and wiggle it a bit, the whole plant moves freely from below the soil line! I'm assuming she has a weakened root system with fewer roots anchored into the soil. Due to extenuating circumstances over the past few years I have not given our roses the royal treatment they desire in terms of fertilizer and water, but none of the others are like this. I plan to do much better this year with a regular schedule of feeding and watering. Is there hope for our WM, or is she past her prime? What can I do to fix this? |
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| You can secure it a bit more securely with a timber framework.....or bamboo......or metal. Anything, really, which can be placed in the ground as an anchor point. Rootrock is a nightmare for roses so you can prune back some of the canopy - maybe as much as half - and bump up the watering if required. Keep the underneath free from competing plants - maybe a nice deep mulch. You will have to take care when fixing a stake - there will be some root damage but this must be balanced out by the need for stability. Even one stout stake, at an angle opposite the prevailing wind direction, securing the main trunk with flexible ties (old tights)......or, you can construct a tripod or 4 inward leaning poles, braced with cross pieces (hazel or sweet chestnut poles would be used in the UK....I am sure there will be a US substitute....or even treated planed lumber. With a large mature rose, it is easier (I think) to construct a support around the rose in situ, threading the poles, tying in, pruning at the same time. Doesn't matter how pretty it looks (the rose will cover most of it) as long as it holds it firm in the ground. |
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| Why do you think the rose is loose? Is this a sudden change? Could you have gnawing underground pests? A disabling disease in the rootzone? Anything affected nearby? If the looseness is owing to problems such as flooding, frost- heave, winds.....these can be fixed. If the looseness is s symptom of something else, the solutions might be more complex. What is the state of the nearby soil? |
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| I had a similar situation in CT where voles ate the root systems. I lost a lot of roses this way but many survived because the rose created a new root ball. I'm guessing that in this case the root system is mostly gone and whether or not the rose can create a new one is problematical. I would dig it up enough to determine the problem and then give it the best care you can to try to save it. |
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| I agree you need to check for critter damage below ground. If you find it you'll need to build cages for the root balls to protect them. If not then I would firmly pack the soil back around the roots and stake and tie the plant until it regains its strength. |
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| Voles tunnel only in soft humus or compost like the decomposing pine needle matting under pine trees. That's why they are called pine voles. Unless you have soil like that the problem isn't voles but you can easily find out. Dig a bit in your beds and look for tunnels. They'll be only one or two inches deep. I'm guessing that the main anchor roots are dead and the rose is getting by with hair roots close to the surface. And BTW, I found that the best weapon against voles was my cats. They can find them easily and dig them up and they love to eat them. |
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| I've had this problem in heavy clay. as well. Maybe it has to do with soil compaction? I have a large Mme Alfred C annd she suddenly started dying back, getting funny growth. I was afraid she'd ben hit wih RRD (I had a big wave of it) but the growth wasn't quite right. Then this Oct I had the garage she was leaning against rebuilt and in pulling her away I discovered she was loose as could be. There just wasn't any soil in the hole, just a layer on top and big air pockets below. I packed good soil back in and I hope she will revive this spring. I've had this problem of air pockets often on roses I have bought in nurseries. When they pot up bareroots, they don't pack the soil down. After it's been planted and the nursery soil starts to settle it leaves air pockets. With clay, the surrounding soil is so rigid it doesn't break down and "flow" together, so it's like planting in a pot. |
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