What's Wrong with My Mini? (Rose Noob)

17 years ago

Hi,

I'm a newcomer to rose growing. I've bought a few books (reccommended in one of the Gardenweb forums) and have done some reading and some lurking.

I've planted two minis in a pot with some accompanying ground-cover. The roses are beginning to bloom, but the edges of the roses are slightly discolored and don't seem to be forming properly. Some roses actually don't form properly at all: most do, but have some sort of discoloration, a brownish color, and the brown portions of the petals are folded back slightly, as though they're rotten. The roses just don't seem to have the proper form. Here's a link to a page with pictures.

I'm watering once a day, (very rarely once every other day). I fertilize with Miracle-grow water soluble plant fertilizer every 7-14 days. The soil in the pot is miracle grow potting soil. The pot has plenty of drainage. The only quasi-obvious issue is the amount of direct sun the plants get: I'd guess from three to four hours at most, with several hours more of dappled and indirect sunlight (I have lots of trees on my lot: few areas get the five to six hours that, based on what I've read, most roses crave).

Thanks for your help.

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Comments (4)

george_mander
17 years ago
Hi Oklahoma City,
I can see from your photos that it looks like water/rain damage.
Did it rain a lot while blooms were starting to open ?
Also, when you water the plants, try not to get blooms and foliage wet at all.

George Mander
HFK123
Original Author
17 years ago
George

Thanks for your reply. It had rained just before the picture. I do occasionally get the foliage wet when watering, but never the blooms.

Someone on the rose forum suggested thrips, and I have seen odd looking bugs on the blooms. The bugs are perhaps 1/4" long. I didn't pay any attention to them (there don't seem to be many of them although, more often than not, when I look at the plant I can see one, and they're always on the blooms.
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blueviolet
17 years ago
Hi!

I had the same problem. First of all remove the ground cover that's next to the minis, they like living in their own little space.You might want to try putting only one plant per pot. Second,trim the blooms off for the next couple blooming cycles ( it helps the plant concentrate more on sending out roots and making the foliage stronger). Also, I've found that watering only once per week or when the topsoil looks a teensy bit dry, is better because it lets the roots rest. And never ,ever fertilize the plants, just let nature take care of them. I have never fertilized my plants, and I still get monster-sized blooms every week.
Good luck!!
diane_nj 6b/7a
17 years ago
blueviolet, um, I have to disagree on the watering and the fertilizing. Perhaps your soil holds water better, but roses should not be allowed to dry out. Water when needed, the soil should not be too wet or dry. Minis can be fertilized. If your soil conditions are excellent, then you might not need the added nutrients. However, I have found that using, at a minimum, an organic-based fertilizer 3 times a year gives a great boost to the roses and the soil. Especially if the fertilizer includes alfalfa. A water-soluble fertilizer like MiracleGro is not bad, and may also provide some of the trace element that roses need.

I have not had a problem with any ground cover or any other non-rose plants growing near my roses. But, different experiences, different environments yeild different results.