Should I give up on this old diseased rose plant and start anew?

8 years ago

I've had this a little over two years and it's diseased. It was in a large pot and became root-bound. I just repotted it last week - cut down on the roots, put in some new soil and fertilizer, then pruned the plant like crazy. It was/is spotted and all.

Not to mention, a plant I recently brought in from the local nursery introduced aphids to my patio garden and I had to deal with the annoyances. I sprayed quite a bit of diluted Neem oil on this to get rid of the infestation and the neem oil seemed to have bothered the plant a bit.

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jacqueline9CA

8 years ago

Step Away From the Rose......

If that was my rose, I would LEAVE IT ALONE to recuperate from being root bound, just being transplanted last week, and being unnecessarily damaged by being sprayed with neem oil! You do not need to spray anything for aphids - just blow them off the plant with a spray of water, nothing else.

Your rose is not "old", and it is not "diseased" - it has been abused, but it will recover if you LEAVE IT ALONE (except for providing adequate water). It will take it a while to grow new roots, so it might not look like it is doing anything for 4-6 weeks, but if you just water it, it should recover. Don't feed it, don't prune it, and don't spray it with anything.

After 4-6 weeks, if it is making new growth, you can feed it with rose FOOD (no poisons, no "3 in 1", or "2 in 1" - they contain poisons) - just follow the rose food directions.

It has a little black spot, so AFTER it recovers from too much love from you, you could look into a specific fungicide spray for blackspot.

Jackie

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Comments (12)

Ihave Nonamé
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks.

Yes, the plant has had quite a bit of new growth recently which was taken over by aphids and quickly started spotting/turning yellow from the fungal disease.
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jacqueline9CA
8 years ago
Some roses get fungal disease because they are not getting enough water. The roots of your rose were root bound, and then just got cut, so it needs to grow new roots. Meantime, you can help it by making sure to keep it watered more than usual. This may help the fungal disease in time, once the rose is has enough roots and is growing. If not, you can always spray for the fungal disease, but I would NOT do that now, because the rose is trying to recuperate. WAIT! Patience is a virtue.

Jackie
Ihave Nonamé thanked jacqueline9CA
diane_nj 6b/7a
8 years ago
BTW, aphids come from anywhere, every year, and don't stay long.
Ihave Nonamé
Original Author
8 years ago
diane_nj: I just hadn't dealt with them until I brought in another rose bush last week from the local nursery (that admitted to having them). I never before noticed bugs on it.

I'll try to avoid the Neem. The last few days, I've just been picking off the ones that I see though there have been fewer.
diane_nj 6b/7a
8 years ago
You can also give them a hard spray of water. Good luck with your rose, it is a pretty color.
Ihave Nonamé thanked diane_nj 6b/7a
User
8 years ago
That soil looks pretty dry... Are you giving it a drink when it needs it? :)
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
8 years ago
If you are in a humid climate fungicide will likely be necessary if you wish to have pristine foliage.
Ihave Nonamé
Original Author
8 years ago
Rebecca: I've watered it a few times in the past week. The soil does seem to get dry quickly though.

hoovb: I'm just south of San Francisco (California). The plant was doing beautifully until it became root bound. I imagine that's what caused the fungal problems.
socks
8 years ago
Just hit the aphids with a shot of water.

I'm wondering if the bush is in full sun.
Joe Moose, Zone 9A
8 years ago
I had this same problem happen to my Rosette Delizy a while back - I put in a bigger pot and gave it a lot of water, then it started to wilt. Instead of adding more water I put it in partial shade and gave it a week or so to dry out. Now it's back to normal.
kittymoonbeam
8 years ago
Roses like plenty of root room or they stress out. When you repotting, buy the best soil you can afford and then don't let the soil go completely dry. Your rose will be back with some time. Set some potted strawberries or flowers on top and when you water them, it will give the rose an extra drink.

Should I give up on this old diseased rose plant and start anew?

jacqueline9CA

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Should I give up on this old diseased rose plant and start anew?

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