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kamala_gw

Miniature Rose Fading Fast

kamala
12 years ago

I got this little pink/blush rose the other day at Trader Joe's and may have watered it too much. Then some animal knocked it over on my patio overnight, and took some petals off one of the blooms. Now several blooms and buds--the ones nearest the wounded bloom-- have wilted, the rest have spots and browning on the outer buds, and it seems to be going fast. What to do?

Comments (13)

  • Naturalchick27
    12 years ago

    I have two from Trader Joes. Have you repotted it? I repotted mine a few days after purchasing them and cut off all of the brown blooms and leaves. That was a month ago and the blooms have come right back. One plant is now double the size it was when I got it. Just repot it, add some peat moss and set it where it can get plenty of sun but away from animals:)

  • Naturalchick27
    12 years ago

    I used a pot 2 or 3 times the size of the original one. I think I sprinkled some Osmocote fertilizer in with Miracle Grow potting soil. I didn't separate the plants, though I heard that it can be done.

  • seil zone 6b MI
    12 years ago

    It probably has nothing to do with being knocked over and more to do with the fact that you took it out of the air conditioned, artificial environment of a store and right out to the patio without hardening it off. Repotting it was good as I'm sure the pot was very small and who knows what kind of soil it was in.

    Make sure it has very good drainage in the new pot and if you have one of those saucers under it, get rid of it! Roses do not like to sit in water and the roots will rot.

    Don't feed it anything more for a long while. Your potting soil already had fertilizer in it so you really didn't need to add the Osmocote. Check the packages for how long the fertilizers are good for before feeding again.

    Separating them is your choice. Sometimes it works, partially works or doesn't work at all. I've had some where all 3 or 4 plants took right off and others where they all died and some in between. If you do decide to separate I'd do it sooner rather than later and be very careful about separating the small white feeder roots. The more of those you can save intact the better. And if you separate expect some shock response (i.e. yellowing/dropping leaves) and they will take time to rebuild their roots before they begin to grow and bloom again.

  • raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
    12 years ago

    I came here today to post about the exact same question!

    I bought mine at TJ's also -- it is a Parade or PatioHit rose. It started to brown, wilt, and was a crispy critter within 6 days of purchase; although I bought it with the intent of putting it in the garden, it was still indoors in its original pot (Out of the surrounding metal cachepot though) when this started on day 4 --- I quickly repotted it into fresh mix but to no avail.

    I took it back and got a new one last Thursday. I am watching this new one wilt before my eyes today. The blossoms do start with some browning, then everything is just wilting.

    I will try again with the repotting, but could this be a case of diseased plants? I don't want to infect the rest of my garden.

    A shame because these are gorgeous little roses.

    Rae

  • diane_nj 6b/7a
    12 years ago

    No. it isn't getting enough light, is getting too much (or too little) water, and not enough natural humidity. Roses are outdoor plants, no matter how many time they are sold as house plants. Plant outside as soon as possible, and I'll bet your little pal will be very happy.

  • seil zone 6b MI
    12 years ago

    Like Diane said, take it outside! Put it in morning sun or dappled shade, not full sun the hottest part of the day, and keep it well water but not soggy. Don't fertilize it until you see active new growth. Then use 1/2 strength fertilizer on it. These plants are very small and fragile. Until they've had a chance to grow and get a decent sized root ball you don't want to over fertilize them. It can burn the roots. Once it's growing you can slowly move it out into full sun and it will thrive.

    I hate to say it but these grocery store minis are sold to be throw aways. Just like a dozen long stem roses would be when they're done. But they don't have to be! They are real roses and will grow outside, just like any other rose plant, if properly cared for. When it gets some size and is growing well you can plant it right into the ground in your garden and enjoy it for years to come!

  • raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
    12 years ago

    I've grown grocery roses before and they've always done well-- I've always had much better luck with miniatures in general. (I have Green Ice, Sweet Cover which is a really great one, Sugar Plum, and an unidentified yellow and unidentified bright pink). I've just never had one collapse so quickly.

    Although the soil felt damp to the touch, I wondered if it was dry in the middle; so I filled the cachepot and let the roots soak overnight. That seemed to stop the progression of wilting/drying. I then separated the 4 plants, put each in its own pot, gave the new soil a good soak, and have them outdoors in the bright shade of the patio. So far, so good, no further wilting, and the tiny new leaves that were already there still look good. Fingers crossed!

  • raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
    12 years ago

    Nope, 2 have progressed to blackened stems and the other two look like they will be there soon. So sad!

  • barbarajon
    12 years ago

    I had also bought the same and I have to say, it�s a pain keeping a check and taking care of the same. I can�t stand the amount of care it needs.

  • seil zone 6b MI
    12 years ago

    Splitting it may have been the culprit, raee. In the process of separating them you probably tore quite a few of the small feeder roots. The plant was already stressed and couldn't recover. I wouldn't give up trying though!

    Barbara, I'm sorry you find it so difficult to care for roses. But I'm not sure I understand why you feel that way. If you have any other kind of perennial plant that you care for, roses don't require any more care than that. Basically, sun, water, some fertilizer once in a while and a good hair cut now and then should do it. Yes, you can spend a lot of time fussing and fuming over them if you chose to but sometimes benign neglect works just as well!

  • zizinewton
    8 years ago

    I bought two pots of those miniature roses. I took very good care of them. But two days later half of the leaves fell off. On the 4th day most of the leaves were gone and the flowers wilted. On the 5th day they died completely. I have never seen a potted plant or flower die like that. Does trader Joe's put rootless rose plants in the pot?

  • minflick
    8 years ago

    I got 3 minis from the supermarket about 3 years ago. A red, a pink and an apricot. Apricot died after a year on the porch, but the red and pink are still going gangbusters, on the very hot front porch, in a big black nursery pot. Their blooms don't begin to last the way my standard size roses do, and when they fade, they go brown in the middle, which isn't beautiful at ALL, but they're pretty. I'm thinking of planting them out by the road to flourish or kick the bucket entirely.

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