Yellow leaves can mean waterlogged soil, are you using pot feet?

I agree with cecily in regards to the roses maybe waterlogged. I have 6 roses in pots and have no problems. I just make sure there are plenty of drainage holes in the bottom of the pots and if the pots are on a solid surface, I raise the pots off the ground to allow drainage of any excess water. One other thing you may want to try is to replant them in smaller pots and as they get bigger re-pot them into the larger pots. I learned this from my brother who owns Ashdown Roses and it works. Good Luck

The main 2 things that cause yellow leaves... too much water or not enough light...

how wet is the soil? how many hours of sun are they getting each day? how warm is the temperature during the hottest part of the day?

"specifically for roses". I never understand what this is supposed to mean.

It could just be transplant shock, many roses go through this when initially moved. Also, are they in full sun? Did you harden them off before putting them into full sun? Or, what decobug said, watch the drainage.

What kind of manure and was the manure composted?

There's a big difference between potting soil and "dirt". There are bagged rose products that I have seen around that are meant to be added to the ground not used in containers. Perhaps you got ahold of one of those products by mistake? My favorite container mix for roses consists of shredded bark mulch, sand, composted manure and perlite. There is no "dirt" in it at all. I too suspect that poor drainage is the problem. Also, when I get small bands (rose plants) I initially put them in a small container and then bump them up as they grow. Small roots in big pots can lead to root rot.

Oh, no fertilizing until you see at least 2 inches of new growth, preferably not until after they bloom. Don't fertilize a sick plant.

I agree with Maryl. If this soil was meant to ammend the ground for planted roses and not for potted roses that could be your problem. Potted roses need a much lighter soil consistancy for drainage. If it is heavy ground soil it will retain too much water and cause your yellowing problems. I also agree with the others here that you planted your tiny bands in too large a pot. The rule of thumb for up potting any plant is only go one to two sizes bigger than the pot it is currently in. Get some really good potting soil without a fertilizer in it (preferably no moisture control crystals either) repot your roses in smaller pots until they begin to get some size on them. Be very careful when you transplant them to retain all of the root ball or as much as possible and try to disturb the roots as little as possible. They need water but you only want the soil to be damp, not soggy, and let the surface dry out a little bit between watering. And like Diane said, no fertilizer until they have good growth on them or until after the first bloom.

Yellow leaves on newly transplanted rose.

Transplant shock

Too wet soil

Too dry soil

Not enough nitrogen

Too much nitrogen

Spider mites

And, could be ALL of the above.

Do not use fertilizer on newly transplanted plants. Kills the roots.

Do not use steer or chicken manure in potted plants. Too salty, kills the roots. Rabbit would be ok. WELL-aged chicken manure is ok too, in small amounts.

Do not use soil amendment as potting mix. That's been explained above already. Conversely, don't use potting mix as soil amendment either!

Do not use soil from the garden in pots. doesn't drain right, and likely to have root rotting pathogens that can run rampant in the confines of a pot.

Check drainage, as described above.

Don't put small plants in big pots. You're asking for root rot because the soil will sit wet where the roots don't reach, and root rotting pathogens love wet soil. You wouldn't put a 5 year old on a full size bicycle.

If you're new to gardening, take baby steps until you get the knack of things. Gardening is a Way of Life; you can't just jump into it at the deep end and expect everything to work right the first time. Like flying a 747, or achieving enlightenment, or swimming the English Channel. You gotta start small and work your way up.

I'm siding with your husband. It's really sad to see new plants die. Spending money on new plants that die right away is both a waste of money, and cruelty to the plants. They are living things.

I think the biggest factor is transplant shock. ie the roots was disturbed.

Even putting and squeezing a stake into the pot can disturb the roots.

Most Roses are robust. As long as the canes are still green, new growth will sprout again.

How often do u water your roses?

All the roses I order are "own root" and shipped "potless" so they do have some dirt on them to protect the roots. I plant new roses in small pots and transplant into the bigger pots when they go dormant during the winter. I only use MiracleGrow potting soil and have not lost a rose yet.

I'd shake off the one inch of manure, 20% of a 5" rose, and plant them in the ground. i wouldn't fertilize anything until next year. If in doubt always just plant in the ground. Leave the pots for the professionals. lol!

It looks like I should have done more reading on this forum before I planted my new roses in pots. I had no idea that they needed different treatment than they would if they were in the ground. I can't put them in the ground since I have no more room.

I don't know what was in the "dirt" that I used. I told the guy at Northaven nursery that I needed soil for roses I was putting in pots and he sold me a rose mixture and told me I didn't need to add anything to it. Everything the roses needed was in the bag. They get about 3-4 hours of sun right now. Do they need to be in a shadier or more sunny location? I water them every 2-3 days but I don't drench them. When I water I wasn't trying to get the water to the bottom of my huge pot since I didn't see the point in that since I know the roots aren't there yet.

Now for my dumb question...why shouldn't I have put the tiny roses in big pots? I now know it is because they are now prone to root rot, but why? If I took the rose out of the pot and put it smack in the middle of my yard isn't it then in a really, really big pot...sort of?? (I said it was a dumb question!!) :)

Just when I thought I was starting to get the hang of this rose stuff and I realize I don't know anything yet!!

aggierose, your question re pot size is not dumb at all- I wondered that for years myself! The answers I came across indicate that unless your potting mixture (for young plants) is very light, nutritious, and free-draining, the closed environment of a pot holds too much moisture and too much air remains driven from the soil for too long. True, open ground CAN be so saturated (as after a heavy rainfall) there is no oxygen (especially in clay soils) in the soil, but usually water moves through the soil fast enough that it isn't a problem. Roots stop growing when there is no oxygen, and do so temporarily after a heavy rainfall.

So your babies may be getting swamped (this can happen in heavy soil if you just amend a hole with lighter soils - the hole ends up being a sump that traps water).

Also, if they are recently potted they have lost a lot of tiny feeder roots - so they need to replace those, plus you will have leaf yellowing and drop as the plant give up leaves it can't support right now, until the feeder roots re-grow. Which won't happen if the soil is heavy and oxygen -less.

Without being there it is hard to say, I would be hesitant to tell you to repot again into a smaller pot and lighter mixture. If the plants re in danger of rotting outright you will have to, gently. Do the canes/stems still look good?

Lastly I am still suspicious of your soil mixture - for me I have very, very rarely purchased ANY soil that I didn't need to amend (preferred) and a LOT of what I see has all kinds of junk in it - long-term fertilizers, wetting agents - it's getting harder and harder just to find good soil that I can lighten up with Perlite, sand, etc. That includes so-called African violet and cactus mixtures. For my own experience it is better to mix your own! I might try more than 2-3 hours of sun, at least more partial sun if your heat is strong. And do not fertilize at all until the babies are really growing!!! 5-inch tall plants need small pots with a light, free-draining mixture - you might try re-potting to a smaller pot and putting the small pots into the big pot (double-potting). Pack the space between the pots with insulation material (I've used newspaper, mulch, packing peanuts, even old dirt!)