HelpfulGardener.com

Hello-

I am having difficulty with my rose bush. The buds drying and turning a ruby red color and falling off before they bloom. I had thought that it might be a watering issue since the stems at the bloom bases were drooping, but increasing his water supply has not helped. Any help with this is greatly appreciated!

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[URL=https://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/208/rosebush1.jpg/][img]https://img208.imageshack.us/img208/469/rosebush1.jpg[/img]

[URL=https://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/10/rosebush3.jpg/][img]https://img10.imageshack.us/img10/5907/rosebush3.jpg[/img]

[URL=https://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/339/rosebush4.jpg/][img]https://img339.imageshack.us/img339/8261/rosebush4.jpg[/img]

The discoloration of the leaves looks like it *could possibly be* the beginning of black spot, a fungal disease, but given the extreme drought y'all have been experiencing this year, it seems unlikely.

When you "increase [the] water supply," how do you do it? Very specifically, please. Do you use a watering can and pour X watering cans of water around the root zone? Do you stand there with a hose for X minutes? etc.

Thank you.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

Hi there-

I hope it's not fungus, but I'll definitely keep an eye out. I increased his watering to twice a day and larger amounts with s sprinkling watercan, though I haven't measured the exact amount I give him each time (though I water until the soil is fully moist).

It may be that the water isn't penetrating to the rose bush's roots. Surface watering, in the conditions Kansas, Missouri, and the majority of the country are suffering this year, won't keep roses happy.

Use a trowel and dig a small "moat" around the rose at its dripline, 3 inches deep and 3 inches wide, making a V-shape. Fill the moat with water. Let the water drain. Fill it with water again. Let it drain again.

Observe how quickly the water drains both times. If the second time is just as fast as the first, water again the same way the next day. If the second time is slower than the first, wait a couple of days before watering again.

This assumes that the rose bush is an isolated one. If you have a row of them, give each bush its own moat and do the "water twice, observe the draining twice" routine. But the re-watering period will be different, because the root zones will be connected to one another below the surface.

For a row of bushes: If the second drainage time is just as fast as the first, water again the same way in two or three days. If the second time is slower than the first, you can probably go for a week or until a decent rain event ("decent" being >0.5 inch).

Naturally, water the root zone directly; make sure not to get any water splashing back up onto the leaves.

Cynthia

Thank you, I will definitely give this a try!