Could someone help with my roses? dial-up warning (pics)

[Ptah]

I've been having some success with my miniature roses. This pink:







This red has had a few good blossoms as well:







However, the whole plant doesn't look to be thriving. The leaf discoloration concerns me here:







And similarly, here:







The pink rose is in a nine inch pot:







The red rose is in an eleven inch pot:







I occasionally add 15-30-15 general fertilizer.
I'm in the desert city of Tucson, with many days in the high nineties (F) {35 - 37C}.

Any suggestions?

:shrug:

Thanks.

[NMDemDist2]

1. pots in the desert will heat the dirt up too much

either set them so the pots aren't in the sun (but the roses are) or make little burlap coats for the pots and soak the burlap so the pots don't cook in the sun thereby cooking your rose roots

the other thing you can do (but it takes more strength) is to soak the pots in water every other day or so so the clay stays moist and cooler. either way, shade or soaking burlap or baths, the terra cotta has to be kept cool or the plants fry

[Ptah]

3. I've relocated them to an area of constant shade.

The pots look like terra cotta, but they're plastic.
I'm not sure of the variety, I bought them on impulse at Safeway.
Thanks for your help, I'm confident them being in the shade will
help them thrive.

:thumbsup: :hi:

[politicat]

2. What AZD6 said, and a bit more...

Looking at the pic of the red rose with the greyish stuff on the leaves, it looks to me like you have a couple of problems going on. The easy one is that the edges of the leaves are getting burned, and that's why the edges are getting grown and dry. That means you probably need to keep the rose's "feet" cooler, and a bigger pot with new soil will help do that. You might consider transplanting them into something other than clay or at least keeping the clay moist so it stays cooler.

The other thing I'm seeing is a fungal infection called powdery mildew. That's the whitish grey stuff on the leaves. Roses don't especially like either heat or dry air, so they're far more prone to disease when it's hot, their roots are warm, and the air is dry. Fungal infections can be cured with a mare's tail and garlic brew that is sprayed on with a mister (don't forget the soil), or with a non-toxic fungicide (garden store) or with a mixture of hand soap with triclosan plus betadine plus hydrogen peroxide.

The garlic and mare's tail brew takes 1 gallon of water, 7 ounces of mare's tail (herb) and 10 cloves of garlic. Do this outside, on the grill, because it STINKS. Soak the mare's tail in the water for 24 hours, then chop 10 big cloves of garlic (don't use bottled garlic or dry garlic here) (one big head will do fine) and add to the water. Boil for an hour, covered. Let cool, strain into a jar. Dilute for use with 1 part brew to 10 parts water, and drench the plants 2x a week for three weeks (watering in the meantime.) The triclosyan, betadine and hydrogen peroxide mix is 1 gallon of water with 1/2 cup anti-bacterial hand soap, a half-cup betadine and 2 cups hydrogen peroxide mixed in a 2 gallon bucket. Put in mister and spray to a drench. Repeat up to 2x a week. (The soap recipe should be used all at once since the H2O2 loses potency. Half or quarter the recipe as needed.) Be prepared to repot the plant after the tryclosan treatment, since tryclosan can kill the healthy bacteria in the potting soil that helps the rose effectively use nutrients. The last ditch treatment is to remove any affected leaves and stems, trim the plant back to healthy stock, and nurse through a re-leafing in a quarantined room with SE light. Try the other two treatments first. Oh, and quarantine the rose that is healthy from the one that has the powdery mildew.

Roses like to go dormant, and get stressed if not allowed to go dormant in the winter. Talk to your county extension office about how to winter them over, because I don't remember if they're supposed to go in the dark or into the cold anymore. (Mine take their cues from the local weather.)

[Ptah]

4. I thank you for the in-depth analysis, politicat.

I thought that might be a fungus or mold.
Mildew describes it quite well.

I also agree that there is some burning happening.
I bought these roses on impulse from Safeway, so I'm not sure
of the variety. I don't know if they are appropriate for the desert.

That mare's tail and garlic sounds stinky enough to do the job. I'm not
sure if I'm ready to try that particular remedy.
re:"Do this outside, on the grill, because it STINKS"

I'm going to try the aggressive pruning you suggested first.

Is there a method to force dormancy? The winter just past was so mild
I don't think they got the necessary 'rest.'

Thanks again for your knowledge.





:thumbsup: :hi:

[politicat]

5. I really don't remember how to dormant a rose, but....

Now's not the time to do it. Next winter, when it cools off, put them someplace cool and dark (the garage or an unused closet or bathroom).

Now is actually a good time to prune aggressively, though. Pick off any leaves with the fungus, and cut back any brown or dry branch tips. Keep in morning light and well watered. You can give her a boost of a gentle fertilizer (roses like nitrogen, so just mulching with a couple of handfuls of grass clippings in the pot around the base will do) after you pick and prune, but treat her gently. She's not feeling so good.

As for impulse buys, I know that one! Two of my three lilacs, both of my jostaberries, my apple tree and three of my five rose bushes are either impulse rescues or happy nothing's day gifts to myself. I tend to get sick plants, so I've gotten good at nursing them.

[Castilleja]

6. Just as an aside....

I am not sure where your little roses were originally grown, but if they are like those we sell at my workplace, they are from Canada or somewhere similar. The climate where they are grown makes a difference in how well they do when you get them home.

For example, I live in South Texas, and I have a very hard time with anything grown far north of me, especially from the NW, because the climate is so different, and plants often cannot take our heat and humidity unless they are grown in it originally, and may take awhile to acclimate. Not all plants, but many. They get stressed and then are susceptible to lots of things.

That may have something to do with the problems cropping up with these roses. I see lots of good suggestions in this thread, though.
The shade and heat moderation sounds like it will be a good start. Good luck with them!

[Ptah]

7. You make a good point about the origin of the roses.

I'm a little embaressed to have these impulse buys.

I should do do some research to determine an appropriate variety.

But since I have these, they have become a project for me.

Thanks for your encouragement, Castilleja.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :hi:

[politicat]

8. It's okay to impulse buy plants.

Bast knows I do it. I'm forever rescuing little darlings.

When you do buy something that you're not certain where it's coming from, give it a few weeks to harden off before you put it outside full time. So say, take a long weekend and water it well on the first day's morning, and bring it inside in the early afternoon. Do the same next day, but let it sit outside a bit longer. Same on third day, longer still. Come the work week, put it outside before you leave for work (well watered, of course) then bring it in on your way inside as you come home (and put it where it will get morning, not afternoon light). Continue for a couple weeks before you leave it out full time.

[NJCher]

9. Here's your solution

Serenade. It's organic, too. In fact, here's the page from Gardens-Alive:

http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=8635&ss=serenade

It's a tad expensive so find someone to go in with you on a bottle. It lasts forever, though, and it wipes fungi write off the map in your garden.

I've had a lot of problems with fungi and I use this stuff on a routine basis. Even if the plant has already developed the disease, as yours has, it still does wonders.

It works in a very unique way--read up on it by doing a Google search and also a Google groups search for other gardeners' comments.




Cher

p.s. and the other comments on the roses' habitats are very important

[Ptah]

10. I seen some improvement in my roses.

HEre are the pink roses that were so powdery.

They look so much better.

I think making them cooler and agressive pruning
have helped.







Thanks for all the help.

:hi: