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Garden Gate:  Help with droopy roses!!  |
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Autumn
Farmgirl in Training
44 Posts
Holly
Ontario
Canada
44 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 13 2014 : 10:25:47 AM
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My fiance and I brought home Climbing Joseph's Coat rose about two months ago. The plant finally started budding a little over a week ago and today we have our first bloom! I was so excited to see it this morning, but somehow in just a few hours all of the buds and the bloom are now drooping. What causes this? I haven't found much online. Why the rapid onset?
I checked the soil and it is still moist (we had rain yesterday evening). The weather is a fair bit warmer today than it was yesterday, it's sitting at around 29 degrees celsius. We keep the rose in a pot because it's smaller and we're hoping to transplant it next year. It sits on the deck where it gets at least six hours of full sunlight a day. We water it as needed and give it fertilizer bi-weekly. Is the rose just going through shock from the higher temperatures? I don't want to lose it so soon, it's hardly bloomed! 
Any help is greatly appreciated!
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Jul 13 2014 : 1:01:13 PM
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Holly, it's likely that your rose bush is potbound. If you want to keep it in a container, get a big one, but I think it's time for it be planted in its forever home! In Ontario, I wouldn't let too much more time go by before you do this, because you want the bush's roots to settle and the plant to become acclimated to its new home before frost. This way, you can mulch in winter and not have to worry about moving a big heavy container inside when cold comes :)
You can find lots of good advice online and at the library about how to plant roses properly. Make sure you choose a spot that gets full sun and has good drainage.Provide support, of course. If you don't want to use a traditional arbor or trellis, you might want to look into getting 4 or 5 long pieces of rebar and make a teepee out of them. They make surprisingly cool rose trellises. Raising your canes like this allows air to circulate throughout he bush and makes your pruning easier. When you settle the plant into the nice big hole you dig for it, make sure to gently separate the roots and spread them out so they sit atop, and cascade down, a central mound of earth, unless yours is a heritage rose on its own roots instead of a "bud union". Roses should be watered regularly, much more often than you think, because those rose roots are deep and soil that feel moist even a couple of inches down after it rains may not give you a good indication of how deeply the rain got down. The roots might be dry as bones.
Be sure you are using the right fertilizers and applying them properly. Most will need to be dug down at least 8 inches at 4 or 5 points in a circle roughly matching the plant's drip line. Mills Magic Mix is an excellent all-'round rose fertilizer and works eel in rotation with Paul's (used to be Peters) or even fish emulsion. Osmocote all by itself is pretty good if you know you're not going to stick to an obsessive schedule of fertilizing with different types of products to hit on all the things roses need throughout the growing season. Also be sure you prune the bush to give it the best chance at developing strong canes in a pleasing shape.
You can find lots of great rose tips from the American Rose Society. Their website is here: http://www.ars.org
Please remember to post pictures of your beautiful rose bush when you get it going. |
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Autumn
Farmgirl in Training
44 Posts
Holly
Ontario
Canada
44 Posts |
Posted - Jul 14 2014 : 05:29:27 AM
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Thank you for the advice!
I'm going to look into getting a bigger container for my roses. Unfortunately we live in a rental (which has some not so awesome landlords) and we're planning on moving when the lease is up, so I don't really want to transplant the roses this year. My fiance watered all my plants for me yesterday and the roses are looking much better already! I believe you were right, the roots must not have been watered enough. Yesterday was super hot, so it probably wasn't helping matters. There are going to be many blooms on this bush so I'm really excited. I'll post pictures when it's all opened up.
Thanks for the great resource! I've bookmarked that site. 
Cheers~
*AUTUMN* |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Jul 14 2014 : 07:15:25 AM
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| A woman who is a leader among rosarians in the US lives near me and recently had me over to her home to see her roses. To my surprise, she had several in containers, most of them several years old and thriving. She said the key is to get really big containers -- about 18" across and not tapered at the bottom, so roots have plenty of room. She also said to get the lightweight kind that look like stone or other traditional material but are really plastic or foam or something -- because you *will* have to move them indoors, or at least into a sheltered porch in winter and you don't want to be lugging 100-pound monsters! If your container is on a hard, flat surface with access to shelter, you could put the container on wheels to make this easier. A tripod trellis made of wooden stakes or, as I said before, rebar, would look lovely. Joseph's Coat can be spectacular and you want to show it off by giving it support. Don't forget to water deeply and fertilize! |
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Autumn
Farmgirl in Training
44 Posts
Holly
Ontario
Canada
44 Posts |
Posted - Jul 15 2014 : 09:12:28 AM
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I've heard that plastic is better. I tried explaining it to my fiance but it just confused him lol. We're going to be doing some gardening at the front of the house, so hopefully I'll get out and pick up a better container soon. I've noticed today just how much bigger the rose bush is since we first got it. I heard Climbing Joseph's Coat grows like wildfire. We'll continue to keep it potted, we luckily have a nice little area near the garage where we can store it away from the weather in the winter. Ick, I don't want to think about winter lol.
The roses are going to bloom very soon, I'm so excited!! I don't have much of a green thumb. These are my first flowers in years so I'm trying really hard to keep them going. |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Jul 15 2014 : 12:15:54 PM
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I know -- plastic always sounds bad. My friend has some sort of pots she purchased at Home Depot that look like dark gray sculptured stone, but is actually made of fake stuff that weighs nothing. Still, they're sturdy enough to move without breaking apart. She had them tucked here and there amongst ground-planted roses, evergreens, and whatnot and they looked lovely. Early this year, I notice she had black trash bags over some of them, with pine tree boughs around the bases for protection from cold -- but we rarely get below freezing here, so in your area, you might even need to bring them into a heated space.
All climbers grow like wildfire! They'll get unattractively leggy if you don't keep them pruned. If there's a rose society near you, it might be a good idea to drop in on a meeting and get some advice on pronging and winter storage of containered plants from people who share your weather conditions. I've found that rose people are generous with their advice and not at all snooty toward newcomers. If you have a big nursery near you, chances are they can steer you to someone who knows someone who knows where a meeting will be soon. (Sounds like AA!)
I can't wait to see your baby in bloom! Don't forget to post pix :) |
Edited by - Rosemary on Jul 15 2014 12:19:23 PM |
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Autumn
Farmgirl in Training
44 Posts
Holly
Ontario
Canada
44 Posts |
Posted - Jul 17 2014 : 5:43:21 PM
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I'll have to look into what, if anything, exists for roses here. There may be a gardening society and that would be helpful to have them as a resource.
I have seen a few decorative plastic pots in stores, but I've been waiting for them to come down in price. Just because they're designer they cost more which is rather silly. I might check the online classifieds too, maybe someone is selling them. I'm still surprised with how much my rosebush has grown in such a small period of time. It's definitely going to need a new container. The buds are super close to blooming. This rose is quite pretty, the first bloom started off yellow with red tips and now it's hot pink. :) Even my fiance likes it and he's not into flowers lol. |
Edited by - Autumn on Jul 17 2014 5:44:09 PM |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Jul 17 2014 : 6:35:13 PM
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Try to hold out for the thick polyurethane pots. They insulate roots best and are sturdy enough to move around without cracking. You should try to get one that's at least 18" wide at the top and, as I said earlier, not too tapered toward the bottom. Do you have any online yard sale sites where you live? You might be able to score a good one for a few bucks. Thrift stores are worth checking out, too.
In a pinch, you might want to get one of those styrofoam picnic coolers about 14" x 24 by about 18" deep. They usually sell for just a few dollars. You can darken them with paint so they don't look nasty, and at least get your rose bush's roots into more space. Poke drainage holes in the bottom. When planted, you'll need to move it carefully so it won't break, but it will work okay until you can get the planter of your dreams. It will be easy to repot; just tear the styrofoam open. |
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Garden Gate: Help with droopy roses!! |
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Help with droopy roses!!
