|
Thu, Apr 10, 14 at 21:52
| I'm still new to rose gardening. I planted two bushes recently in my yard, a HT and a floribunda. The HT looked kind of sad to begin with, but it's looking better after some pruning and antifungal spray...for now. The floribunda looked happy and healthy for about two weeks; now it's starting to droop on me. Just the buds and new growth, mainly, and nothing looks yellow or crispy. I'd been watering it daily, seeing as how crazy hot and dry it's been here lately, but now I wonder if I've overwatered. The soil around it is a blend of rose soil that the nursery recommended and plain garden dirt. It is moist, but no standing water. It's in a spot that gets good, but not 100%, sun. I feel like a gardening failure. I've pruned off a lot of the new buds to give it a breather, but I really hope it'll recover. Any recommendations? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by jacqueline3 9CA (My Page) on Thu, Apr 10, 14 at 22:28
| I would prune it down to about 2 feet from the ground, if it is not there already. When you transplant bushes which are already leafed out and covered with buds, they can die if they do not have an adequate root structure yet (or the roots were damaged in planting) to handle the top growth. The roses need some time to grow new roots. Then it will start putting out new growth. Oh, whatever you do, do not feed it until it has recuperated and is putting out new growth. Jackie |
|
- Posted by nikthegreek 9b/10a E of Athens (My Page) on Fri, Apr 11, 14 at 4:43
| 'Drooping' is a sign of thirst. If your roses are not drowning (because that has the same effect as thirst) then you will need to water them more frequently until they are established somewhat. If you are in a hot place, that might mean daily watering or even twice daily for the whole of their first summer. Nik |
|
| "This rose is thirsty!" was my very first thought. However, this particular floribunda doesn't get nearly as much sun as the two established roses I have on the south side of my house, and the soil around it is actually very moist. I'm more concerned that I've drowned the poor thing. It does get good air circulation, and it's hardly in total shade (lots of good morning sun as well as filtered afternoon sun), but it is a new transplant. I haven't fertilized it, either. |
|
- Posted by nikthegreek 9b/10a E of Athens (My Page) on Fri, Apr 11, 14 at 14:23
| Dig a bit and see what's happening at the root level. How old is this plant? Did you plant it as a band? As a bare root? Did you make sure the soil was compacted around the roots? It is very difficult to drown a rose unless you have an extremely water retaining clay soil. I'm prepared to bet it needs more watering but only you can tell by investigating what's happening below the surface. Also, the rose recovering during the night or some time after you water it and drooping in the afternoon is a sure sign of not enough water for the conditions. It means it reacts to watering and to the hot conditions, ergo it's not drowning. Nik |
This post was edited by nikthegreek on Fri, Apr 11, 14 at 14:25
|
| I would just rig up some temporary shade and not do anything else until they recover. The shade will keep stress on the plant's systems to a minimum. We had that three days of 90F or 90F+. That is very stressful for a young plant. Also be careful with how much amendment you add to the soil. As woody material (even when composted) mixed into the soil decomposes, it robs the soil of oxygen. Plant roots need oxygen as much as they need water and nutients. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Roses Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
