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janegael

Sick Rose, leaves turning pink/white

JaneGael
10 years ago

My Don Juan looks awful. It didn't really leaf out and the leaves it does have are small and pink to pinkish white. I asked at the garden centers here but the rose specialists don't know what's wrong with it. I don't think it can be saved but I'd like to know if what it has is contagious.

Comments (14)

  • JaneGael
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I went out and took a good look at the two roses closest to it and they have a very few leaves turning whitish pink as well. I don't know if it's a disease or something lacking in the soil.

  • jerijen
    10 years ago

    Can you get a closer photo???

    Jeri

  • mimosamonster
    10 years ago

    i notice it looks like its up close to the house... could it be an issue with the soil/nutrients... that looks like some sort of nutrient issue.

  • JaneGael
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Is this any better for a picture? It is at the end of my deck which has cement under it. However on the other end of the deck is another Don Juan that gets less sun but is doing very well. I also noticed that at the bottom of the plant there are a couple of small canes with new growth that looks more healthy.

  • henry_kuska
    10 years ago

    Sometimes in the spring you will have a cane that looks green, but when you cut it, you find the center is brown. I suggest going to the end of the green part of the cane and cut off the rest. If the center is brown, go in an inch or so, Repeat until the cane is white all the way through.

  • seil zone 6b MI
    10 years ago

    How much sun do these roses get? Were they covered for winter? If they're not getting enough light for photosynthesis you can get that whitish growth. When I take my potted roses out in the spring they often have that kind of growth below the coverings. Sometimes, once out into the sunlight, they'll recover and green up but not always and I have to remove it and let it leaf out again to get green leaves.

  • JaneGael
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    This actually gets less sun than the healthy one at the other end of my patio. It was not covered for the winter. All of my other roses are going full tilt and some have buds but this one is just sitting there looking all sad and puny.

  • susan4952
    10 years ago

    I would cut this down and feed.

  • jerijen
    10 years ago

    I'm thinking this is either a light and/or nutritional issue, but I just can't see enough to make any better guess than that.

    Jeri

  • roseseek
    10 years ago

    Severe chlorosis issues can yield really odd pigmentation like that. Might anything like paint being rinsed from buckets, or cement rinsed from shovels or a wheel barrow have been dumped where those roses are? You mention there is cement beneath them. I'd check the soil pH and see if it's highly alkaline from that concrete. Is your soil normally acidic, alkaline or fairly neutral? Too high or too low in pH can produce awful looking plants. Barring anything having been spilled or dumped there, I'd check the pH before doing ANYTHING. Kim

  • Campanula UK Z8
    10 years ago

    Do you get extra water run-off near this rose? I ask because this looks like a classic case of nutrient leaching (something which I suffer from a lot since my home garden is basically a pot garden).
    I would first off, at this time of year, look to start with a basic nitrogen bump.....and if that doesn't help with greening up, then you may well have to investigate soil PH as lock-up of micro-nutrients also causes chlorotic growth. Chelated iron can help (sequestrene or such) but do try a basic soil test - this is a very fixable issue, I feel, and is closely linked to water and feeding, not some disease.

  • bethnorcal9
    10 years ago

    I occasionally will get a stem on one of my roses randomly coming out white like that usually in early spring. I'm not sure what causes it, but it doesn't hurt the plant. Sometimes the stem will have a bloom, but it doesn't usually amount to much. And if you just cut it off, the new growth will be normal. I wouldn't worry about it tho.

  • michaelg
    10 years ago

    Kim is on the right track. It is severe iron deficiency chlorosis that might be caused by the limey concrete adjoining. Check the soil pH.

    Dying canes can also produce this effect. Check for winter damage and canker. (Don Juan is not hardy in my climate unless it gets a run of mild winters.) At present I have a small weak HT that has foliage like that because the only cane is severely cankered.

    As Beth says, sometimes certain roses get severe chlorosis in spring because the soil is cold and wet, which inhibits uptake of iron.

    You could fertilize with Miracid, which has lots of chelated iron and nitrogen. If the pH is above 6.8, correct with sulfur.

  • zack_lau z6 CT ARS Consulting Rosarian
    10 years ago

    I looked through my garden yesterday and found a mini with a few whitish/pinkish leaves on the top of winter damaged canes--I cut it off--now the plant looks normal. The later growth underneath was just fine.

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