uh oh - something is wrong - container roses languishing - help!

6 years ago

Dear Rose forum members,

I had wanted to share beautiful pictures of our roses, and have so much enjoyed everyone's posts all winter and early spring. However somethings wrong - I think - with a few of my container roses on our terrace. I'm in Brooklyn NY, between zone 6 and 7.

Last summer Souv. de Malmaison did extremely well in her pot, on the terrace where she gots lots of sun. Ditto Rose de Rescht. I had Crepuscule, but she bit the the dust. That's ok, I knew I was pushing the zone. I have a Cardinal de Richelieu which is doing really well up there, but I have him in a slightly more shaded location. For comparison purposes, in our shady side yard, Bourbon Queen is in the ground and doing so well (see picture below) , as is Souven Dr, Jamain (not pictured) . Lots of growth and dozens of buds. all the container roses have more or less the same potting mix which Christopher uses for his potted roses: a mix of bark fines, peat moss, well rotted manure, perlite and vermiculite. I noticed SDM and RdR seem to have a lot of little rootlets along to top of the soil. Could they already be root bound? This is only their third season. I really appreciate anyone's thoughts on this situation - it looks like I may loose SDM ... THANK YOU!!!

Bourbon queen - in ground and doing so well. She will be breathtaking.

Cardinal de Richelieu - on the terrace and doing very well. Get's morning sun only. Virtually no cane die back. Same potting mix as other roses.

Souvenir de Malmaison - last year did so well. Is leafing out, but leaf clusters at the top of image are limp. Some cane die back.

Rose de rescht - also slow to leaf out, but the leaf clusters

are bouncy and resilient to the touch. Each day more leaf buds emerge. Cane die back, you can see the one blackish one. I tried to cut alway the cane die back as they emerged.

Little Polyantha (I forget the name, from ARE) - leafing out pretty well, but not very vigorous and some yellowing.

:((

Lee Ann

Featured Answer

nippstress - zone 5 Nebraska

6 years ago

Being from a cold zone myself, all of your photos look like the best of most of my roses in the ground. You're right to trim back those dead and/or fading canes back to the growth points and concentrate the rose on maintaining the healthy canes rather than trying to revive the irredeemable ones. I'm no help whatsoever on pot culture and watering, but both Jackie's and Embothrium's suggestions sound like good ideas to explore. Sometimes those limp leaves like you mention at the top of SDLM are a sign that the cane below the leaves is on the way out, but I see no sign of it yet and I'd keep those canes. Just watch the canes for further signs of deterioration, particularly some of those on RdR that look a bit iffy, and be ready to prune out at signs of decay. There's no reason all those roses won't thrive for you once they get going and you address whatever watering issues might be going on.

Cynthia

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Comments (9)

portlandmysteryrose
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Hi, Swamprose.

I hope this reply shows up. I can't see it on my computer screen, but it shows up on my phone. Houzz just gets weirder and weirder!

I'm sending spring sympathy! Who knows what evil lurks as winter's curtain is raised?... My climate is temperate rainforest (with major heat waves now), but back when I lived in MN, I used to see winter damage that looked like your photos. Were your roses in pots that were exposed all during cold season? I think HMF reports zone 5 for SdlM, but I'd call 6 her lower end of tolerance. I believe Paul Barden's site says zone 6 and 5 with protection. She might be an in-ground rose in your zone. Your BQ looks fantastic! I can hardly wait to see photos of her gorgeous blooms! I grew RdR in MN. It's a pretty darn tough and hardy variety in my experience, but mine was planted in a bed. I think both RdR and CdR are rated zone 4ish, so they might handle being potted. The little poly may need protection, though. If you have bubble wrap lying around for reuse, it makes a wonderful pot wrapper and liner.

Added to my reply as I submit again in hopes that this all gets posted: I have also seen canes and leaves that resemble yours when pots are not draining well, as mentioned by Jackie and others. My potted roses that resembled yours contained straight garden soil instead of potting soil (don't ask how that happened), but I've also had to fuss with perfectly lovely potting mixes off and on because the combo of weather conditions and ingredients just became too compacted. You might try cutting off the yellow and brown canes and then mixing in planting materials which up the drainage.

From one zone and garden placement pusher and potted rose grower to another, I'm sending lots of kindred spirt and well wishes! Carol
swamp_rose thanked portlandmysteryrose
jacqueline9CA
6 years ago
I certainly am NOT an expert, but my first thought seeing your pics of the container roses is either too much or too little water. Have you checked the drainage? Pots which have been in the same place without moving for years can sometimes get blocked drainage, even though they were fine for a while.

Jackie
swamp_rose thanked jacqueline9CA
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Embothrium
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Particularly since they did better last year almost certainly the "root" of the problem is your nearly entirely organic potting medium having gotten old, leached and airless - in the fourth shot in particular it certainly looks the part. Also as you touch on yourself in your opening post you could be having problems with winter damage.
swamp_rose thanked Embothrium
swamp_rose
Original Author
6 years ago
Oh you all are the best! Thank you so much for all your thoughts, suggestions and words of encouragement. Our terrace is proving to be much more challenging then we expected, and the learning curve continues.

Thank you Carol for your kind words and well wishes and the thoughts on SdM! Thank you Jackie and Pugetopolis for chiming in! I'm leaning towards drainage ... and Cynyhia! - I appreciate the advice on canes. Yes that pot was left in it's exposed location and we had a really bitter winter, so maybe that is part of the deal. I think those pots are not draining well - this weekend I'll poke around the drainage hole. I don't want to pull the rose out now that it's in active growing mode, unless it cools down, then maybe I can pull out the root ball and augment the soil. I somehow thought SdM was a touch old bird - it seems to do very well in other extreme climates (according to other forum members) but each situation is really unique.

I'll keep you all posed, and again THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Lee Ann
Embothrium
6 years ago
If potting medium is broken down plants need to be knocked out and have entirely fresh medium put in its place, throughout the pot. Wilting or shriveling of current top growth now won't matter if plants continue to decline, even die later in the season because of unchanged conditions at the roots.
swamp_rose thanked Embothrium
User
6 years ago
Swamprose, your roses look exactly like a couple of plants I neglected to repot one spring. Your old potting mix broke down and lost its porosity. Like Embothrium said, you need to give them fresh potting mix ASAP or they will continue to decline. And a larger container, if possible.
swamp_rose thanked User
swamp_rose
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you for the observation Festiva! I think I will embark on this campaign this weekend.
Cathy Kaufell
6 years ago
Iy should bounce back. Cut off those dry brittle branches and fertilize with rose tone. This rose has been in storage since last year and is very hungry.

uh oh - something is wrong - container roses languishing - help!

nippstress - zone 5 Nebraska

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uh oh - something is wrong - container roses languishing - help!

nippstress - zone 5 Nebraska

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