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Pale Knock Out Rose Leaves

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

I planted this rose last year in late summer, but this spring, the leaves are very pale and light green. I've added compost last fall and in early spring. I also gave fish emulsion for some extra N, but it's still the same color. What's wrong with it?

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Comments (5)

Patty W. zone 5a Illinois
6 years ago
In my garden it is either too much water or not enough. Sometimes it is the plant itself. As in the roots have not developed or it is growing on bad wood. I have 2 plants out there right now that are yellow and not growing well. The roses behind them and in front are fine but not these two. I really don't want to dig them up to see whats wrong but I know that I should.

Depending on how your weather has been, your climate and your soil. Here I would wait a while. I looks like the plant in back is nice and green.
mzstitch
6 years ago
Do you have large trees right behind it, looking at the plants on the ground behind it it looks almost like this is on the edge of some tall trees? I can also see something is shading the soil right behind. If you planted this close to large trees its possible the root system of the trees is taking all the water/nutrients from your soil. Are the roses shaded as well? You need to ensure the rose gets at least 6 hours of good sun during the day. I would continue with the fish fertilizer every two weeks, and make sure the rose bush gets plenty of water. The fish fertilizer should help green up the leaves, I used it on a camilia this spring that had light green leaves which was all wrong for the plant and the fish fertilizer used a few times helped green it up nicely.
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The leaves of yellow Knock-Out turn yellow!
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Thanks, is that about a two gallon can? The majority of the foliage which has yellowed seems older leaves, mostly lower on the plant and toward the interior of the bush. That is normal. Foliage requires good light exposure to produce more food than they require. Older foliage is continually shed after the plant reabsorbs the nutrients from it (turning it yellow) to push new growth. Your flowers have only recently shattered. It's too soon to expect that pot bound plant to push any new growth or flowers. The spotted foliage I can tell from the photo is that which has turned yellow. "Yellow" means the plant has sucked the sap from them. That reduces their immune system ability to resist diseases. If that bugs you, pick off all the yellowed foliage. Pinch off the spent flowers, leaving all the green leaves in place. Don't cut down the canes to remove those spent flowers. Leave all the wood and green foliage the plant already has. Plant it. There is nothing I see in that photo to indicate there is anything wrong with the plant other than: Stressed from being in the can too long. Stressed from having temperature, light, watering, etc., change from where it WAS to where it IS. Probably stressed from having the fertilizers the growers push into the plants to get them retail ready (so you'll buy them), mostly washed from the soil due to the frequent watering required to keep that size plant salable in that size pot. Ready to push out new growth once it gets some root room, more nutrients and probably more consistent soil temperature and moisture instead of more widely fluctuating moisture and temps being stuffed into that can subject it to. The foliage just under the flowers (the newest, youngest foliage and growth) appears just fine. It's the oldest and that which is shaded from the best sun exposure which appear to be yellowing. Expect that as that is what happens with ALL plants as they grow. Just provide for this one as you have the others you've grown for years, remembering this one is more "juvenile", more of a "baby" than the adults already in your garden. So, it's going to require a bit more attention and patience as the others did at that "age". Have fun! Kim
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knock out roses doing poorly
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Comments (5)
It's hard to tell without looking at your soil, but I am going to make a guess based on my own difficult experience. My garden soil is terrible, a gluey, rockfilled mess that has been amended by myself and the previous owner, but I slowly learned with the overwhelming mess of clay and bottomless number of fill rocks large and small, the amending wasn't nearly enough. I did learn to dig, dig, dig in more organics AND, based on a comment in a rose book, add Perlite. You see, things would be fine in the cooler spring temps, but when the temps soared, that airless rocky clay just seemed to be choking the life out of the bushes. Plus, I later read that iron moves particularly slowly in heavy clay, and sure enough by late summer some of my bushes began to have typical lack-of-iron symptoms (chlorosis). My symptoms were poor sad growth, and some bushes would just die. I also had a disgusting grub problem, I would dig up the soil and there was grub after disgusting grub I mashed. Then I treated my garden with milky spore disease. All the amending, perlite, and milky spore disease seems to have improved things, but the improvements continue, and it IS back-breaking work. So I am wondering if you have lousy soil + you said your garden is at the base of a hill, so maybe you have water pooling there drowning/suffocating the roots. And the problem is really showing up as the temps rise?
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The blooms are brown because they are spent. You can remove those to encourage new growth. The plants look healthy. When you plant or transplant, you can't really expect blooms right away. The roses will be concentrating on putting down roots so they can absorb the water you are giving them. I'd cut down the watering (unless the ground is dry) and just give them time.
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Hi Laura, My two cents about the original post, just food for thought so you don't get too frustrated with your Knock Outs. First, I hope that you can figure out what is ailing your rose so it looks better. I know it is very frustrating to put a lot of effort into your garden and have something go south on you. Now as for the hoopla surrounding the KO rose family: Just like the pajamas I buy for my kids are "flame retardant," KO roses are "disease resistant." While you can resonably expect that if thrown into flames my children's pj's would catch fire, you can also expect that under extreme conditions, KO roses can get disease. I posted to the forum earlier today because I found my Rainbow KO seems to have Rose Rosette Disease. I know that it is very frustrating to have a rose marketed to you as if it were a plant that you can "set and forget," but the truth is that even KO's do better with a little pampering. Also, disease resistance vs. pest resistance... is KO marketed as pest resistant as well? I have an Autin rose that is getting eaten to death by a slug right now, and it's aggrevating. But in the end, I just try to remember that a little damage here and there isn't that big a deal in the grand scheme of things, because roses are living things and to try to keep a rose looking absolutely perfect is like Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the hill. :) Good Luck, Jennifer
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dublinbay z6 (KS)
6 years ago
What is your gardening zone? I'm in Zone 6 which is a "transition" zone--more winter damage some years than others. Usually when I get the lighter leaves and weaker growth, it is because that part was damage a bit during winter and I should have pruned most of it off in spring so that new healthy canes would form.

Right off hand, I can't remember the lighter leaves/weaker growth ever got better. Usually, it meant that that part of the plant is barely chugging along and by summer's end, it will just give up and die--or hang on even weaker through the fall and next winter, blooming weakly in spring, and then giving up completely.

If you zone is a higher number, that probably isn't your problem, however.

Good luck.

Kate
HU-186698180
last year
It is suffering from classic chlorosis. add iron and sulfur amendments.
Diane Brakefield
last year
Or you can use a spring dose of Lilly Miller Organic Granular Fertilizer for acid loving plants like I do where the soil is alkaline and ties up the iron. Works beautifully. I've also used iron and sulfur amendments in another garden with less success than with the Lilly Miller. Diane

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