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nikthegreek_gw

Climber not producing ANY blooms

nikthegreek
9 years ago

This is not an antique rose but I though I should ask anyway. I planted a bare root grafted Kordes Golden Gate (large flowered climber) in the fall of 2012. It has grown vigorously with strong canes to about 8 feet, but it has not produced a single flower and I have never noticed a single bud. Is this possible? Granted it is not in full day sun and I haven't really properly trained the canes, but still... I noticed that all of the cane end leaves have routinely been attacked by some critter (most probably some sort of caterpillar). Can this have been the culprit?
Nik

Here is a link that might be useful: Golden Gate

This post was edited by nikthegreek on Thu, Jun 12, 14 at 13:18

Comments (16)

  • DavidBeck
    9 years ago

    Sounds to me like the "caterpillar" is named Bambi.

    Caterpillars usually don't eat only the tips of canes; they eat leaves up and down the whole cane. Deer, however, DO eat cane tips, exclusively.

    Check out the ground about 4-5 feet from the base of the plant and look for hoofprints or deer poop. If so, you now have a great argument to make to the spouse for getting a dog!

  • nikthegreek
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    David thanks but no Bambies here, the closest place where deer are to be found is a mount about 40 miles away. The only four legged mammals in my garden are my dogs plus rats and hedgehogs plus the occasional feline visitor who quickly regrets it..The canes are not chewed, only some fresh tips and leaves are. There are the tell tale holes of caterpillars, or they might be snails, further down the canes also. Come to think of it, it might be some kind of grasshoper since I think the leaves have round chew marks at the edges and not in the middle. I will have to check again tomorrow morning. Still I have similar although not so pronounced issues with other roses but this hasn't caused them not to bloom at all.
    Nik

  • mendocino_rose
    9 years ago

    I know friends of mine who live in warmer winter climates that have grown roses that won't bloom without winter chill. I wonder if this might be the problem.

  • nikthegreek
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi mendocino, I thought this issue was limited to once blooming OGR's. This rose is a modern rose. Could this be possible? I live in a warm climate with minimal winter chill but Ihad albas blooming in my garden this year anyway.
    Nik

  • Chandran
    9 years ago

    I had the same problem of no blooms with Futtachker Schlingrose. I had it at a spot with morning sun for almost 4 years and it grew very large - more than 8 ft. tall and spread out well with very healthy foliage but it never had any blooms! My friend who lives about 15 miles from me purchased the same rose at the same time and it bloomed very well for her. It was and is a total mystery to me. At the suggestion of my friend, I finally moved it to the sunniest spot I have and although it is still alive ( I think) it has been sulking for almost a year and has not grown any new foliage.

    Mae

  • nikthegreek
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    This is also a total mystery to me. Out of 150 or so roses, not counting this year's planted once bloomers, this is the only rose that has not bloomed for me and we are at the end of the spring blooming season here. Remontant modern climbers not blooming in the first season is common enough but by their second season they are blooming profusely. I will investigate the leaf chewing issue more closely and maybe post a pic or two. If I discount this as an explanation I'm at a loss. I should add that I have not seen any laterals growing either. Although I have not trained this rose yet, some of the longer canes have been naturally leaning at quite an angle straddling a chainlink fence covered in non-rose climbers. These should have grown at least some laterals normally. Can this be a genetic deficiency in this particular plant?
    Nik

    This post was edited by nikthegreek on Fri, Jun 13, 14 at 1:56

  • Campanula UK Z8
    9 years ago

    Please do post a pic, Nic. Leaf chewing at the edges raised the immediate spectre of weevils - vine weevils to be specific.....although you would be seeing wilting and flagging as the roots are the target of these horrid little things.
    Oh, and sometimes modern climbers need an extra season to build up root and foliage mass, often not blooming until they have been in the ground for at least a couple of years. If the rest of the plant looks green and thriving, I don't think you have any cause for anxiety (yet). Jasmina did nothing for its first season apart from grow many long leafy canes with not a bloom in sight....yet it flowers perfectly well on new wood now it is established.

  • nikthegreek
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Camps,
    I do have kinds of weevils and beatles over here and cockchaffers (melolontha melolontha whose larvae can be very destructive to roots) but have never had significant damage. Not sure I have the wine weevil, but yes, the round chewmarks could be weevils. I will post some pics in the weekend.

    Funny you mentioned Jasmina. I planted two of those at the same time as the Golden Gate and in nearby positions. No flowering the first year but this year they have been flowering quite abundantly. Nothing appears wrong with GG apart from the chewing and the flowerlessness. In fact it appears particularly strong shooting basal shoots all over the place (to the extent that I had to check whether they were rootstock shoots but no they don't look like canina at all - both the Jasminas and the GG have come directly from Kordes in Germany).
    Nik

    This post was edited by nikthegreek on Fri, Jun 13, 14 at 12:55

  • thonotorose
    9 years ago

    My gut feeling is to just wait. I had an own root climber that took four years before I saw a bloom.

  • nikthegreek
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Didn't manage to take any pics but at least I found the munching culprits which had in the meantime started to feed on many other roses also. Small green lepidoptera larvae (caterpillars) just a few mm long. I sprayed with Btk hoping to control them somewhat. I like butterflies as much as anyone but this was becoming a hazard.
    Nik

    This post was edited by nikthegreek on Fri, Jul 4, 14 at 1:44

  • mariannese
    9 years ago

    I have lost the first flush on several roses to the Rose Tip-infesting Sawfly, Ardis brunniventris in scientific speak. If you have it in Greece it might be the culprit. It seems to prefer modern roses so I haven't given up on all blooms yet. There is still time for a second flush and now's the time for my once-bloomers.

    Climbing American Beauty today, still a young rose.

  • Ninkasi
    9 years ago

    Hi, just wanted to see if your climber had produced any blooms yet? Golden Gate is very popular here and I have seen many nice examples around locally. While the weather is different, Golden Gate is an ADR recipient and as that test is only 3 years long in any case you would expect to see blooms by now.

  • nikthegreek
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    No, no blooms, nada. If it ain't the munching caterpillars, I don't know what it may be. Funny thing is it isn't producing any laterals either. If it doesn't bloom by fall it will be shovel pruned. I have no need for a flowerless thorny green giant.
    Nik

    This post was edited by nikthegreek on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 6:35

  • vasue VA
    9 years ago

    A pair of these new here this year, bought as 3-gallon pots in bud about 3 months ago. Still in their pots (need to shift the end plants of a hedge for room to plant them on an existing arch), they've put on 2' of height, additional basals & several laterals though the plants are highly upright. Also grafted, they were 5x2' at purchase, now 7x4', and are just finishing their third bloom cycle. Most of the blooms have appeared in sprays on the top third of branches, but lower laterals blooming this last time. In an ESE exposure, they get 7-8 hours of full sun beginning around 10am. Haven't done anything but water well daily & deadhead snap the spent flowers so far. No fertilizer, no spray & no problems. Daytime temps ranging from 50-98F. Will repot soon if I don't get to the hedge bit first. Really appreciating these so far for their vigor, health & fragrant bloom.

    Since you got yours direct from Kordes, have you contacted them for advice? Any chance of a mix-up in the rose sent not being Golden Gate? Still, any rose could be expected to bloom by now in good conditions. Is yours getting enough sun & water to bloom? Might try a foliar feed of seaweed, which often stimulates reluctant roses here to come into bloom...


    This post was edited by vasue on Wed, Jul 9, 14 at 17:12

  • seil zone 6b MI
    9 years ago

    I had a climbing Peace for six years. I gave me one single bloom the first year, grew to about 10 feet tall over the next 5 years and NEVER ever bloomed again. I finally dug it out and tossed it. I don't think it was the spot because I put a Candy Land in there and it bloomed frequently for the next 3 years. Unfortunately it didn't winter this year. I think the Peace was just a dud plant.

  • nikthegreek
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I'm going to cut off the ends of the long basals. Most have been half munched anyhow. This in an attempt to provoke lateral growth. I will also take away a few of the basal shoots just to see if this can provoke the rose to react (probably by producing even more of them.....). I will be patient until Oct since that is the time for our big autumn flush. No blooms by Oct, the shovel will take the place of the pruners. No I'm going to go down to the garden and say the exact same thing to its ear since I'm sure it doesn't read GW.
    Nik

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