Question
QUESTION:      I planted roses (assorted WEEKS) this past Monday without first adding water to the planting hole and letting it drain.  To make matters worse, it has been over 100 degrees most of this week and I haven't watered the newly planted roses for four days straight. When I planted, I added a palm full of miracle grow to the dry hole... then added organic garden soil...watered...then went on my way.


I live in Zone 6(Amarillo, Texas Panhandle). What is the best corrective action to take? On each bush, over half the leaves have leaf curl or are dried to a crisp--not to mention the mildew. The stems on each bush look fair and I am now laying the water on.  Is there anything that I am missing to increase the odds?  The roses look like they could pull through, but it will take a more skillful hand than mine.

I bought the roses fairly mature(average stem five feet on each rose bush) from a greenhouse.

ANSWER: You are on the right track in regards to water, water, water. As you already know the roots have gone under stress and have shut down. I know you don't need to hear this, but putting any type of fertilizer into a new planting hole is not a wisdom especially when it is hot. The fertilizer will definitely burn the frail feeder roots. Because the roots are not doing their job you will have to make sure they are kept damp. You can do this by taking a hose and literally driving it down all around the base of the rose. Placing a mulch of any kind will also keep the soil cool.
In regards to the leaves. Roses are capable of producing new sets of leaves so don't worry about the dead leaves. When a rose is under stress the leaves are the first to go but they will grow back again.  I would also prune the roses back by about a third as that will help take the strain from the roots trying to keep a large mature bush alive and it will also activate the rose when it settles in, into making new growth which will replace what you pruned off.
Mildew sucks and dries out the moisture from the leaves and the canes and should be stopped. 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 2 quarts of water sprayed daily is the best way to go now as a commercial spray often has too harsh a chemical for roses that are under going a growing problem. Plus you really shouldn't use any chemical when the temperature is hot. Your roses will look sad for a few weeks but with care they will start to perk up and bloom well for you.

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QUESTION:     Thank you for your quick response and for calming my nerves. I went ahead and removed the "crispy" leaves from the bushes. Is that OK?  My chickens immediately scatter any mulch that is applied to anything;they produce fertilizer, so I guess it is a fair trade off.   

     Other than watering, pruning, and patience there is nothing else that I can do to help establish the roots?  I have heard that two tablespoons of Epsom salt mixed with water per rosebush would help? How do you feel about adding fish emulsion?

   Surely there is some "magic trick" application or technique that I have yet to discover.  At any rate...thank you very mulch!!!!

ANSWER: Yes, a good idea to remove the leaves as they are not doing anything and there will be new leaves coming along when the heat calms down. It is hard to help the roots when they are under stress as they have sort of shut down. Epson Salts is just magnesium sulphate and most soils have enough of it and don't need more. It is simply a leaf greener up. Good for hydrangeas and camellias. A liquid fish fertilizer is a good idea but the rose won't use it because the roots have literally shut down. Water is the answer because as long as the roots are damp and don't dry out, then the rose bush stays alive, even though it may look terrible. Just bear in mind that your roses won't die. Any rose bush can come back from only  a couple of inches.
Alas you have learned rose wisdom the hard way and that is, never plant a rose bush in hot weather.

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QUESTION:       May you live long and prosper.  You may have already done this on the Help website, but would you go over some more natural remedies for insects and fungus like your "Baking Soda for Mildew" solution?
    

     My remaining bush leaves no longer sag, but the thorns are still a brownish color. What does that mean?  When I bought the bushes, most of the thorns had a healthy off-white to light yellow color.

     Lastly, once the bushes make a noticeable recovery, what should I use and when should I fertilize? Chicken manure(composted) and added in the fall to the soil has worked wonders for my vegetable garden and fruit trees, how would it work for my roses once the roots wake up?

  
     How much will the water that I am using for my roses dilute(reduce potential for burn) the rose food that I put in the planting hole (Miracle Grow 3 month feeder-the little green pellets)?

Answer
Thorns are just tint lateral canes that didn't grow into a green cane. The colour of a thorn doesn't really matter as they are basically dead and do not effect the rose. Thorns start off pale green and then go brown naturally.I would only be concerned if thorns got ripped off as fungus can start to live in the wounds.
Chicken manure is excellent but it is high in nitrogen and can burn. When you use if just make sure it is old. You can make a very good fertilizer for you roses by mixing the chicken manure with water as the liquid if taken up right away by the roots.
Miracle Gro pellets are a slow release and as you know, give off some fertilizer when the water hits them. You have to water a lot to keep the roses alive and that will also release the fertilizer. I am going to guess that your water doesn't make it down to the bottom of the hole so you might be okay because of that. It is the feeder roots near the top that you are concerned about and they are the main ones that need the water. Long roots on a rose are mainly anchors.
Nest year fertilizer your roses in the spring when they start to grow a lot. Then back off in the high heat of the summer and just water them well. When it has cooled down towards the fall, give them more fertilizer. Roses only need to be fertilized twice in a season. Expect roses to look sad in high heat and wait until it cools down to see them back to normal. Roses are really very hard to kill once they are a mature, large bush. But they will re-act to many things and appear to die. Simply keep in mind that a rose bush will come back from only 2 inches of canes.
Don't be too beguiled by the word organic. Sometimes organic or homemade solutions to insect and diseases can injure the land as much as the chemicals. The reason that organic is considered better is because the soil is filled with bacteria. Roses cannot take up anything until it is broken down by these bacteria. Bone meal for instance takes the bacteria about 9 months to break  down so even though you put it in a rose hole the rose won't be able to use it until that time.
Aphids can be got rid of with spray from the hose. They can't crawl back up again and the birds eat them like candy.
Mildew can be got rid of with the baking soda.
Gardeners are having a lot lot of success with spraying roses with liquid fish fertilizer to keep black spot under control.
Spraying insects with soap only gives you clean bugs but it does kill caterpillars though.
There are some insects, such as Japanese Beetles, that not even a harsh chemical will get rid of. You have to get up early around 7:30 when they are sleepy and pick them off.
Other insects, such as thrips and rose midges, really need a harsh chemical spray.