You most likely have thrips. They are tiny bugs that love light colored blooms and will leave the blooms discolored. I use to spray for them but now I just let mother nature take its course as they are only here for a little while and then go away.

If you do what to spray, spray only the blooms using any good type of rose insecticide or organic insecticide. Just remember if you spray, you will be killing good bugs as well, i.e. bees.

Oh No ... problem getting worse with my Remembering Dee rose bush. This was SUCH a vibrant plant early in year and lots of pure white blooms. But not she is struggling. Please look at the recent photo and let me know what you think. THANKS!
Hank

Sorry - I can't seem to paste in the photo - any simple advice on how to do this?

Do you have a photo bucket or other such online photo album type acccount? If you do use the http link to copy and paste the picture into your post.

Thanks for the technical tip ... hopefully this link will show you the picture and I look forward to opinions on how to help my Remembering Dee rose.
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze10cd1p/

Here is a link that might be useful: Remembering Dee

I can see by the picture where the rose has lost a lot of leaves. Did you have a problem with black spot or powdery mildew this spring? I can also see where the leaves look like they are loosing color, it that correct? So it almost looks like the rose is lacking nitrogen. What are you feeding the rose, what size pot is the rose in, and how long has the rose been in that pot? This will allow me and others to give you suggestion to get your rose back on track. The canes look healthy so that is a big plus.

Liz

You are correct - the rose has lost a lot of leaves (it was very vibrant, bushy plant with many blooms in Spring). I feed with MiracleGro "Rose Food" which is 18-24-16 about every 10-14 days. I also have occasionally sprayed with Ortho Orthenex (about every 2 weeks) which is a systemic for insects and diseases. I picked both the fertilizer and systemic based upon the "instructions" that came with the plants from "Noreast. The canes do seem healthy. It is a 12" pot and this is 2nd full year in that pot.

The rose is showing signs of a mineral inblance. And it can be from a buildup in the soil to the point the rose can not uptake what it needs. Do you water real well a day before you feed and then water after you fed?

MiracleGro is really a short term fertilizer (some describe it like Redbull for roses) and that maybe too much for it in that short of time frame especially since the rose is in a pot (believe it or not you can kill a rose by feeding it to much). I would recommend changing to a good time release such as RoseTone or Osmocote 10-10-10.

It is not the age in the pot but it can be the size of the pot. I might suggest going up to a 15" pot and using a good quatilty potting mix not soil.

I would not repot until you start seeing new growth on the rose, then once the rose has settled down, then repot into a bigger pot. Only spray if the rose needs it. I would try not to spray it while it is trying to recover. Although it is easy to use a 2 in one prodct such as Ortho Orthenex, spraying for fungus, disease, and insects when you do not need to is not good for the roses either. I only spray for fungus and disease and only when it is needed.

Backing off on the high numbered fertlizer and not spraying unless needed should get your rose back on track. As my rose mentor said to me long ago, "You can kill a rose with too much kindness"

Let me know how thing go.

Thank you for your input. Sounds like I should only water for now (skip any feeding or spraying) until the rose looks better. If I change to time release feeding how long should I wait and how often do I feed?
Hank

Hank

Feed according to the instructions, if you change to an orgainic like RoseTone or a balanced fertlizer like a 10-10-10 mixture. I would feed 2 weeks since your last feeding. Remember to water the day before and right after.

for example, I feed using a natural product (Peter Beales natural rose care) 3 times a year and once a month in between I feed using seaweed/fish emulsion. The PB is a granular feed so I water good the day before, feed by scratching it in and follow up with water. The emulsion is water based so I use it as a drench.

You should see a difference. I have a mini I rescued 2 weeks ago and it had a few leaves but green canes. I have given it half strength emlusion once and it has started to grow new leaves. So sometimes less is more.

OK - I purchased RoseTone and plan to feed this weekend. The package says (for established plants) "...1 1/4 cup for each plant ... around the drip line ... scratch in...".
I have 12-14" pots and 1 1/4 cup sounds like a LOT. Is the amount OK? THANKS!

hank in pa

I have used Rose Tone and it may sound like a lot but it really is not as it is a slow release fertilizer. If you have 14" pots, I would maybe go down to 1 cup each. Make sure you water well the day before you feed and water after you scratch it in.

Normally when you see instructions like that for how much to use, they are talking about for a full size rose with a dripline that is two or three feet across - not a mini. Picture a circle two or three feet across and how much area it has versus that of a 14 inch pot. I would cut the recommendation at least in half for a mini, maybe even less than that.

I suspect you burned some of the feeder roots with all your fertilizing, and the rose needs time to grow them back before it can really use much fertilizer.