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my rose bushes are shrinking need help

13 years ago

I dunno what happened but all of a sudden this year after the first bloom cycle all my new and old roses are producing MUCH smaller blooms with way fewer petals. EXAMPLE: my full sail was about 6inches in diameter with lots and lots of petals now its 3 at its largest with about 20 petals. the peace and chicago peace were great the last 6 years but again all of a sudden this year they went form about 5-6 inches to like 2-3.

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Comments (4)

hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
13 years ago
Has the weather been really hot? This will shrink bloom size.

Are you watering enough? This will shrink bloom size, too.

Is there less foliage on the plants than in the past, due to disease? This will reduce vigor.

What do you fertilize the plants with? Roses need fertilizer at least once a year.
illutionary
Original Author
13 years ago
I think its the weather because its old and new plants and it did begin after this heat wave has hit MD. Im watering but i dont water allover i only get up close and spray near the crown im so afraid to cause blackspot and mildew. If they get sun by 11am and I soak them from watering around 10 will that cause disease problems or just help them?
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How much water is it receiving? Looks healthy fo me. Look on underside of yellowing leaves for any black dots, which could indicate the start of a fungal disease called black spot. You can remove those leaves & any fallen leaves below the rose. to prevent the spores from reinfecting the plant. Also apply mulch around your roses. This helps prevent fungal spores found naturally in the soil from splashing upward when it rains or you water. The mulch also acts as a weed block and decreases watering requirements by keeping the soil below moist. Use about a 3” layer. Don’t pile the mulch against the canes either.
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Betty, The shade might be a factor. I think the bigger factor was the rock mulch and lack of nutrients. I'm glad your rose is bouncing back. It was 100 degrees yesterday and 98 the day before with those lovely winds! Check the moisture regularly since your rose has already been stressed. Roses do want full sun for the most part, but full sun as sea level is different than full sun at 1 mile elevation. What side of the house is the rose on and how much sun a day does it get? It looks like the tree is giving it some shade. I think what you've done so far should restore your rose to health over time. Keep an eye out for aphids and other critters (aphids and grasshoppers are showing up at my place 20 miles north of you). If you have compost or humus now, put some under the mulch and plan on feeding the rose lightly again in a few weeks. We may get some rain over the next few days that will break down the fertilizer you've already put down and get it into the soil. Nice work! Barb
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Right, don't fertilize until they have recovered and have put out plenty of leaves. Bloom Buster is the wrong kind of fertilizer--regular Miracle Gro or Miracle Gro for Roses is fine, or any reasonably balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or 18-6-12. Watering correctly is the most important thing. Keep a 2" mulch of leaves or bark around the roses. When the soil under the mulch feels dry-ish, water thoroughly with 2-3 gallons for small plants or 5 gallons for larger, plus or minus for extremely hot or very mild, cloudy weather. Usually once a week is fine. For new plants, I divide the ration in half and water twice a week.
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Our heat has been pretty high the last couple of weeks. I have many new bushes from one and two gallon pots that I planted this spring. All are own root. I check the ground an inch down before I water. If we get less that a quarter inch of rain I usually have to hand water using a wand every two days. If we get more than one quarter inch rain I wait until three to four days after the rain to water. I do have mine in beds with no grass or weeds and it is mulched so the water doesn't evaporate as fast. The key is how quickly is your ground drying out then set up a water schedule based on that. My schedule works great for me.
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jerijen
13 years ago
Don't worry about it.
You say you're having a heatwave -- that's very normal for roses in hot weather. It's their way of conserving water.

When the temperatures drop, the blooms will return to the size you're used to.

Jeri
dublinbay z6 (KS)
13 years ago
As long as the roses have plenty of time to dry off before it cools off at night, I wouldn't worry about watering causing blackspot problems.

Kate

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