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Blooms drying up and dying before bloom

9 years ago

Completely new at at any kind of gardening so please bear with me if I don' have terminology right or ask basic questions.

I planted some knockout roses on the west side of the house. Zone 7, Fort Worth Texas. My yard does have a lot of large trees but does get probably 6 hours of sun.

The plants are not doing so hot. My girlfriend planted 2 last year. One of which got torn out for plumbing repairs. The remaining one doesn't look so hot. It is not growing bigger and leaves are paler green than I would think is normal.

We decided to try again this year and really try to pay attention and figure out how to grow...something. We planted knockout roses based on the marketing that any idiot can grow them. They had blooms on them when we put them in the ground. The current plants have been out for about a month. Initially wilted and then kind of picked back up. A few are doing better than others and bloomed well. The others seemed to dry up and lose leaves near the bottom. Additionally the blooms at the top seem to die before blossoming. See pictures for what I mean.

I put compost in the hole when I planted them but didn't fertilize. About two weeks later I put in some rose food pellets that I can't recall the name of now. They are being watered off of a drip line with 1GPH drippers at the base near the dirt so they are not getting sprayed down. It hasn't rained much here and we did have one late frost after they were planted.

I swear I see people on practically every other house that have knockouts 4ft high in complete shade planted in drums of used motor oil and they are doing great so I am going to take it personally if I can't get something to grow :)

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Comments (8)

dmatx
Original Author
9 years ago
Second
dublinbay z6 (KS)
9 years ago
I say, just cut off the old, worn out growth --that will happen periodically as blooms are used up. Some people leave them to fall off when they will, but your bushes will look much nicer if you trim off the old growth.

You might have overfed them--hard to say. I suggest you water them well and regularly for the next month and see if they outgrow this behavior. I'm thinking they just need more water.

Let us know in about a month how they are doing--OK?

Kate
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Hi everyone. Amyly Ann - Does the centre of your plant smell like a cross between a dead rat and a manure heap? If so this means your plant has rotted and this is why the centre just pulled out. I haven't had any experience of this problem with Guzmanias, but when it sometimes occurs with a Neoregelia, I just give the centre a good hose out and remove any other leaves that are lose and come away easily. I then allow it to dry thoroughly before dusting it with Flowers of Sulphur or a good quality fungicide powder (Make sure the fungicide powder doesn't contain any copper as this is often used in fungicides and can be fatal to brom's). You next have to try and find out why the plant rotted in the first place and it is usually caused by an organism called Phytophthera cinnamomi which thrives in oxygen deficient damp conditions often caused by the following: Over watering; standing the plant in a saucer of water; lack of good air circulation around the plant; or some sort of trauma which has damaged part of the plant leaving an open wound for the organism to enter. Knock the plant out of the pot and if the potting mix seems sodden with water, discard it completely, wash off the roots and allow to dry before re-potting in fresh potting mix. The original plant will probably slowly die, but as part of the life cycle it will usually produce one or two new pups in an attempt to assist in the "survival of the species". That's about all I can tell you, but perhaps some of our other members who are more conversant with Guzmanias can provide further information. Good luck and all the best, Nev.
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meredith_e Z7b, Piedmont of NC, 1000' elevation
9 years ago
A lot of times you'll lose the little blooms when you take a rose from a pot and plant it, too. The roots can get disturbed just enough that the rose gives those blooms up to concentrate on getting settled in its new home :)

When I transplant (even from a pot to ground), I tend to pinch them off, even. It should make new ones if it's doing well in its new home.
Poorbutroserich Susan Nashville
9 years ago
I've rarely had a problem that consistent, thorough watering didn't cure. Don't drown em but keep them moist. You will be just fine. You are not an idiot. Just gotta persevere!
Susan
alameda/zone 8/East Texas
9 years ago
I am in east Texas, about 3 hours from you. I have some Knockouts in several colors and cut them back severely in February - they get so big I have to do this. Just trim them back, water them, mulch them and they will most likely start showing you some new growth. These really are good roses for beginners.....I don't have any blackspot issues with mine. Other than the compost, was the soil good that you planted them in? Maybe the fertilizer you used might have burned them - watering will help leach it out. If leaves are a light green, possibly with the veins showing, get an iron product from Lowes [forget the name of it but think it might be Ironite] and mix in water and water it in. I have a few plants that do this and one watering with the iron is all it takes to green them up. Mulching will help - we haven't had any rain either - make sure you are getting the roots watered. Maybe leave a hose on them for 15-20 minutes going very slow. You might think you are watering well when the water is actually running off and not getting to the roots. I hand water a lot and I will water one group, then another and come back to the first group [and so on] to make sure there is adequate water getting to the root zone. If they are planted getting the hot west sun, it might be a little hot for newly planted roses. Just keep them watered and mulched. Good luck - you will get the hang of it. I am no expert but have grown [and killed] enough roses to have finally figured out what they like. Oh, and Home Depot usually has some good deals on mulch......
Judith
gardenper
9 years ago
I think your rose bush is just experiencing the transplant shock. Give it time and it will recover from that. In the meantime, you could prune off dead bulbs or stems/leaves to at least give it a green healthy look.

You could also prune a little more and cause the bush to grow more compactly, but read up on rose pruning if you're not sure about it.
bluegirl_gw
9 years ago
Besides all the other good comments & advice:

Dang, this year is awful! I'm nw of SA. Besides all of the freeze damage & drought, this season's flush got fried on the canes with all the hot dry winds. I had a couple of weeks of gorgeous blooms, then the temps soared into the 90s before the canes had time to harden up.

Oh, well, I snagged 30 bags of oak leaves, mulched the heck out of everything & have fingers crossed for rain the next couple of days.

Really, things have been rough for plants all over the past couple of years & most especially so for young plants. I'm gonna assume things can only improve, with watering & mulch.
bluegirl_gw
9 years ago
removed double post

This post was edited by bluegirl on Wed, May 7, 14 at 21:34

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