Question
Hi how are u?  I bought 4 antigue climbing rose bushes this august (I live in southeast texas about 2 hours south of Houston very close to Beaumont tx. And I have a problem with one that I just cant figure out ..it is not growing as fast as my other ones and its leaves are turning yelow and brown on the ends and feel really dry although I water them often at least 3-5 times a week, and some of the canes are turning black like they are dying..can you please tell me what the problem could be and how to fix it..also out of the other 3 only one has made roses the others are growing and spreading great just not producing any buds or flowers..please help!..Thank you for yout time  P.S. my husband has been watering the leaves and I told him this was a no no...

Answer
Hi Patti,

August is not really the optimal time to transplant roses, so there may be an extended period of transplant shock, but if other roses are doing well, that does not seem likely

It is hard to know what the problem might be, but I suspect that there may be some sort of root disease if you water as frequently as three times a week and still have aerial parts of the plant seem dry.  One inch of water a week is the norm for watering roses, and of course the larger the rose plant, the more water.

In some of the canes that look dry, cut the cane through with pruners.  Examine the outer part of the stem, and there should be a cream-colored pith (center) and a somewhat tan to green colored ring around the pith next to the outside of the stem.  If there is any sort of dark brown or black color (usually surrounding the pith), then there is some disease of the vascular tissue.  This may be either a result from pathogens that are rootborne or that enter the plant from lesions or physical damage to the aerial parts of the plant.

If you see no such discoloration of the canes, then take a shovel and unearth part of the roots on one side of the plant.  Do the same thing.  if there is discoloration, then there is a root disease that is affecting the uptake of water to the aerial parts of the plant.

If you have not grown roses or other plants in this soil before, you may be experiencing a nutrient-poor soil, or a soil with a pH too basic (alkaline) to make the nutrients available.  

I am not sure of the type of roses you purchased, but some of the antique varieties bloom only once a year in the late spring or early summer.  I would not be concerned unless the same thing happens next growing season.  

If that does happen, then add some fertilizer high in phosphorous.  That promotes the root development and bloom production.  



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