Hi - I live in Colorado. I planted a new rosebush in my backyard around a little over a month ago. It was stagnant for quite a while, not growing but keeping green. The bush just started to show new growth this week (finally!).
The temperatures have been around 100 Deg lately. I have been watering 1 - 2 times a week, approximately with approximately 1 gallon of water to the bush per week.
With the new growth came a problem: I am seeing problems with yellowing on the leaves. There are leaves that are yellowing around the edges, and some branches where all the leaves are yellow in the center:
It appears your rose is being cooked. The stone mulch absorbs and radiates heat upward and into the soil, raising the air temperature, increasing the water needs. The stucco wall behind it does the same, it absorbs, reflects and radiates heat from the sun, raising the air temperature around the rose, further increasing the water need. Both are passive solar collectors. As you wrote, the temperature has been around a hundred degrees recently. The air around that plant is likely greater than that. Might you have gotten those crisped leaves wet when the sun was shining on the plant? They appear burned, which could have occurred either from water focusing the sun rays like a magnifying glass, or simply their being fried from the heat from the solar collecting surfaces surrounding the rose. There isn’t much you can do about the wall (other than move the rose away from it to somewhere else) but you definitely should remove all the rock mulch and replace it with something organic. Compost works well. It insulates the soil, keeping it cool and preserving the moisture content. The rocks heat it and can literally cook the roots as the feeder roots remain within the upper few inches of the soil. They are the plant’s digestive tract. Once you’ve reduced the extra heat on the plant, it should grow better. Good luck.
Welcome Azjazz, I agree with roseseek. The stone around your rose is absorbing the heat and damaging the leaves. And depending on how you prepared the hole and your soil type, the gallon of water per week may be insufficient. At least remove the rock, preferably 8 inches away from the canes, spread some type of wood mulch. A day or two after you water, using your index finger push down into the soil above the second knuckle. Is the soil moist or dry? Buying a moisture meter would be helpful. What type of rose is it?
@Rosejoy - We have two newly planted hybrid tea rose bushes at our new house in Colorado.
A dark red True Spirit (pictured above with the leaf damage) for its beautiful blooms and weather tolerance, and a yellow Eternal Flame for the fragrance.
We will be planting a third bush in between once I (hopefully) figure out how to get these two to flourish. I picked up some mulch and soil sensors late yesterday, I will be cleaning up the rose ground area later today.
Have you had the soil tested? Roses grow best when the pH is between 6.2 to 6.8. If you can reach out to a local rose society and their ARS Consulting Rosarians. They can help answer your questions.
I agree with those who noted that your rose bush is suffering from heat. I would like to go further and suggest that you find a partly-shaded location in your yard and move it there. Also, water every other day until the bush is established if the weather is hot and dry. Roses just aren’t a good choice to plant in front of a hot wall.
@dmbreth - The roses are planted in an area that gets shade about 50% of the day. It is positioned between our house and garage, with a true east-west exposure. The house or garage provides shade during various parts of the day. Unfortunately, there isn’t anywhere else in our yard where I can replant them where they will get any sunlight and not get more brutal sun exposure.
The large black stones were preinstalled by the previous owner wherever they didn’t install artificial turf and a concrete pad. We have a microscopic yard (the word “yard” is generous). Options are basically non-existent.
I have dug up the black stones around the two rose bushes, and replaced it with a deep layer of brown cedar mulch. I am hoping that will prove to be the solution.
Move the rocks 2 feet away from the rose and apply mulch. Water a few times a day if it’s 100 or more there. I’m near Palm Spring and my sprinkler is set to 3 mins 4 times a day. Use Fish fertilizer and or worm tea. No strong fertilizers til it’s 2nd year.
Thanks @POSI_TANO - Do you know approximately how many gallons you water per bush in a week? I am currently doing manual watering right now, approximately 1/2 gallon in the morning every other day.
