I'm *very* new at roses of any kind. However, I've been cutting and arranging flowers for some time. In that time, I've learned that I need to keep vases and containers perfectly clean, removing all bacteria that might clog plant stems. I can do that in a couple of ways: wash in the dishwasher or wash by hand with *hot* soap and water, rinse with bleach water, and then rinse with clear water.

I'm wondering if your pot is harboring some disease. If you've kept it "sanitized" each time you've planted, I have no more ideas for you. I hope someone else can answer your question.

How long ago did you plant it in the new pot? It could simply be transplant shock. Is it putting out any new growth? It may take a little bit to get established. Remember that some leaf drop is to be expected when transplanting. What kind of rose is it? If it is from most retail garden centers, it probably has more than one plant in the pot. If so, those roots are probably competing for water and nutrients and need to be separated.

Hope this helps!

--Joe in TX

I have grown many miniature roses in self-watering pots. My pots were homemade jobs -- a wick made from a nylon stocking dangled from the pot drainage hole into a water reservoir below the pot. The pot did not stand in water, but the soil was constantly moist. I used a very light potting mix - about 1/1/1 peat, perlite, and vermiculite. My roses absolutely loved the constant moisture. Most potted roses die because they have generally inappropriate growing conditions. Roses need a large pot in proportion to the plant. They are heavy feeders. They don't grow well indoors. They need 6 hours of direct sun per day, which is ordinarily only available outside in a spot such as a patio. They need good air circulation. They need a winter rest and appropriate pruning. In Chicago, if you leave pots outside in the winter, they will freeze and the roses will die. I used to overwinter roses in my refrigerator. Most (sane) people overwinter potted roses in an unheated garage.

As Joe in TX points out, it is also normal for a newly transplanted rose to get yellow leaves until it gets established and starts to put out new growth.

Good luck with your rose.

QC

I found that the self watering pots kept my mini's too wet. If your leaves are turning yellow but still have green veins, that might be the problem. I still have a couple of those pots, but I pulled the bottoms off.

I live in Dallas, TX and all my mini's are in pots on my patio. Although we have had far more than our share of rain this summer, I have found that if Mother Nature overwaters, the roses love it. However, if I overwater with city water, they respond with the yellow leaves and drop leaves like crazy. Makes me a bit uncomfortable about drinking the tap water with all those chemicals. : >

Barbara