7 Reasons Your Roses are Dying
You love your roses, but you don’t have a green thumb. Check out these 7 reasons your roses are dying and how you can bring them back to life.
My garden is my happy place. I love planting beautiful flowers and useful plants that I know will bring me enjoyment. Roses are one of my favorite flowers to plant because not only are they beautiful and smell amazing, they are great to cut and bring indoors for arrangements too. But what do you do when your roses show signs of distress? Find out the 7 Reasons why your roses are dying and how to bring them back to life.
7 Reasons Your Roses are Dying
Fungus or Disease
One of the most common problems with roses is fungus or disease. Roses can suffer from black spot, powdery mildew, and more. A few tips to prevent fungus and disease are …
- trim out any infected areas with a clean pair of trimmers
- water at the roots only
- purchase a fungicide specifically for roses if the problem persists
- always use a pair of cleaned trimmers to prevent the spread of fungus or disease.
Pests
Roses are beautiful and they smell amazing. Unfortunately they can become a host to all sorts of pests. Japanese Beetles, Slugs, Caterpillars, spider mites, and aphids are just a few of the critters that would be happy to call your rose bush home. Check your rose bush regularly for pests. There are several pesticides available at your local hardware store, or if you would rather grow your roses organically try this organic garden pest repellant.
Deer
There isn’t much I can say about this one. Deer love roses! They will eat them up, top to bottom. If you have deer in your area you may consider planting your roses in a fenced area.
Lack of Fertilizer
Roses are hungry, and they love to eat. If they are planted near other plants or weeds have crept in that other greenery could be stealing nutrients from your rose. Buy an organic or typical rose food and feed your bush regularly according to the package. Normally, once every 2 – 3 weeks. Also, pull any weeds you see that could be stealing the nutrients from your rose.
Too Much Fertilizer
Just like the lack of fertilizer, too much fertilizer or chemicals on your roses can be causing a problem. Too much fertilizer can cause your leaves to look burnt, brown, and shriveled. Try to use a granular fertilizer every 3 weeks during growing season; less in the winter.
Also watch your roses for signs of deficiencies. If you are in tune with your plants they are great at telling you what they need.
- A rose with iron deficiency will lack chlorophyll in the leaves and will appear yellow with green veins.
- A deficiency in manganese will also manifest itself in a lack of dark green leaf color.
Water
Obviously, like all plants roses need water. They just don’t like getting their leaves wet. Silly, I know. Water your rose bush daily in the morning or at night so the water absorbs and doesn’t evaporate. When you are watering, water the roots only, or the drip line. This way the rose bush gets a good drink without cause things like fungus to take hold on the leaves. If you have drip irrigation that you can set up for your roses that is the best way to water them.
Another great type is mulch!!! Mulch around your rose bush to help hold the moisture in and give your rose a great chance at survival.
Location
Did you plant your rose in the right location? Roses can be a bit picky when it comes to just he right amount of sun and protection. Roses (depending on the variety) generally needs 6 -8 hours of sun per day. However, they also like to be a bit protected from harsh weather. This makes roses ideal to plant next to a tree or building where they will get morning or afternoon sun, but they are protected from the heat of the day.
Roses are beautiful and so rewarding to grow in your garden. I hope that these tips help you figure out the reason why your roses are dying and help you bring them back to life. If you have more rose tips feel free to share them in the comments below.
