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| I am in central Texas, and I just planted my first 5 own-root antique roses a few weeks ago. They are doing lovely so far, and a couple of them even seem to be setting blooms! I do have one question. About 4 days after I planted them, we had a near-freeze cold snap. My in-laws panicked me and said I should cover everybody since they were new. I gently and loosely tied some lightweight rags around them that night, and removed them in the morning. I don't think we actually even made it below freezing. I noticed, however, that most of the roses had some discoloration on their leaves. The most prominent discoloration was on my Graham Thomas, and it looks like large black spots on the center of the older leaves. I don't think this looks like "black spot" but I wondered if it was either from the cold or from me covering them. Anyone have insight? My Belinda's Dream also had some discoloration, mainly on one of the canes, and there doesn't seem to be as much new growth on that one. The other half is going gangbusters. Ducher and Mrs B R Cant had minimal discoloration. Zepherine Drouhin seemed least affected and has the most blooms setting. I really appreciate any insight. I am desperately trying NOT to kill my babies. Also, another random question--how often should I be watering them while they're new? It's been about 10 days since I watered, but the soil still seemed very moist (they are well mulched). I have also seen info on how much to water ranging from 1-2 in. per week, but how does that translate in practical terms? Water with a slow, steady stream for 20 minutes or so? sorry these might be dumb questions!! Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Without a photo of the leaves it's very hard to say what is causing the discolorations. Cold can cause them to blacken but usually it's at the edges. They'll turn black and get crispy. If you can, please post some photos so we can get a better diagnosis for you. The rule of thumb for watering is usually an inch per week depending on weather conditions. If it's unusually hot and dry they'll need more. For a handy reference place an empty tuna fish can on the ground next to the rose when you water it. When the can is full that's about an inch of water. Just a tip, Graham Thomas is a water hog. He will wilt quickly when he needs watering. I use him as an indicator for when my roses need water in my garden. Enjoy your new babies and post some pictures when they bloom! |
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| Here's a picture of Graham Thomas. You can see the large black spots in the center of the leaves. But there are no spots on any of the new leaves, and it otherwise seems to be growing happily. These spots appeared after that little cold snap. I'll also try to post pics of the others so you can see the difference. Belinda is the only other one with noticeable spots, the others are minor. |
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| This is my Belinda's Dream. You can see some spotting on the right side, and not as much growth, and the left side is growing like crazy. |
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| This is Ducher....it seems less hardy than the others, more delicate leaves and obviously a lighter color. I don't know if this is the normal state of life for this rose? (Like I said, I am a NEW newbie!) I also can't figure out how to post more than one picture on a post! lol |
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| This is Zepherine Drouhin. It has a few blooms setting, and looks like it's grown the most. No black spots at all. It is in a different bed, quite a ways from the others. |
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| Here's Mrs BR Cant. She also doesn't seem to have as many spots, and looks like she is growing well. Anyone have any insight? Thank you in advance!!! |
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| Hi. It looks like a touch of BS to me--no big deal (I NEVER spray). Ducher is a bit pale--not bad, but roses in central Tx have to fight chlorosis because of the highly alkaline soil. If it persists, might try a shot of something like Ironite, or some other soil acidifier with iron. With a newly planted young rose, I'd keep it watered & mulched for the next few weeks before I did anything. Even though they are newly planted, those plants look pretty mature, not like band-sized plants, & with the mulch & water they should tolerate a bit of central TX level frost. They look very healthy. Young own-root plants can grow a little awkwardly for the first few years. I resist pruning 'teen-agers' & baby plants for at least 2-3 years until they are settled in (& I personally don't prune much anyway). In these dry conditions I water at least a couple of times a week-10 days. I "measure" watering by imagining soaking a 2-5 gallon plant in a pot. If the soil under the mulch is moist it sounds like you are doing well. It looks like they are well-mulched & that's a huge help. Enjoy! they look very good to me. |
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- Posted by sherryocala 9A Florida (My Page) on Mon, Mar 18, 13 at 18:19
| Welcome, Rachel! I don't spray and I choose resistant roses like yours for that reason. Most of my roses always get black spots after frosts/freezes even if they didn't get it before. My theory is that the low temps damaged/weakened the leaves which made them susceptible. It's a normal thing. Since my roses don't go dormant, they're always growing, and I think that's why getting zapped with a freeze - or in your case lower temps than the babies are used to - allows the BS to bloom. The leaves will drop or you can cut them off so the next leaf will get all the energy in that budeye and sprout. Mrs B R Cant is very cold hardy and BS resistant. She's a toughie. I have sandy soil and at this time of year with mulch like yours I would water two or three times a week. They have no risk here of standing in water. It just drains away instantly. When it starts getting hotter, I would check and increase the water accordingly. The thing is you don't want them to ever dry out. That's bad for a rose. Since they don't yet have big root systems, you just have to baby them for a while. Your roses are looking really good. BTW, when we're going to have a freeze and I have baby plants, I water them well and put a large enough nursery pot (or other planter) over them stuck tight into the soil. In fact, I either use two so the holes are not in line or cover the holes with something. Wrapping the plant with cloth did not help it. You want to seal the cover to the ground which will hold the warmth of the moist soil around the plant and not let the cold in. It's the heat of the ground that protects the plant. Sherry |
Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...
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| It takes cold of about 27 degrees to injure roses. Watering-- 4-1/2 gallons per square yard is about one inch. Run you hose into a bucket to see how how many seconds per gallon. Small plants can get a gallon every two or three days. Little water is needed in cool weather. No need to water if the soil is moist. |
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- Posted by sherryocala 9A Florida (My Page) on Tue, Mar 19, 13 at 11:45
| Michaelg, by "injure" do you mean something more severe than loss of leaves and buds at 27 degrees? Freezing (30 - 32 degrees) will kill very new growth and flower buds and even whole canes in my garden. A few of my teas and SDLM suffered cane death (not apparent for a week or more), but that freeze may have been down in the 27 range. I was surprised. Maman Cochet, Cl had a basal break that had reached about 4'-5' long during our warm February and had pretty much changed from red to green. I thought it was undamaged except for the tip, but the other day I noticed brown areas around several thorns. Then I found that the thorns were mushy and the cane was soft and dried out. It looked fine except for the brown around the thorns. Yesterday I cut it all the way back to a node at 8". Broke my heart - it had survived the squirrels but was slaughtered by the freeze. Perhaps it depends on the rose, too. I guess growing roses are more easily damaged, right? Sherry |
Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...
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| Sherry, my plants of the SDLM clan suffer no winter cane damage at temperatures above 5 degrees F. I was referring to soft new growth in spring or fall being OK down to about 27 degrees, so these are plants in growth. I'm amazed to hear of canes being killed at 30 degrees. Maybe some other factor was responsible. Of course my plants rarely have to deal with temps of 75-80 suddenly giving way to 30-32. Lengthy exposure to temps in the 30s and 40s causes roses to increase their resistance to freezing. Also, on very clear, still nights, surfaces and tissues can be cooled to a couple of degrees below the air temperature by radiation cooling. |
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