Question From: New Berlin, New York, United States
Q: Hello- I have wild pink roses that have blossomed for years in my property. I live in upstate NY and many of the pine trees that surround my home have grown to heights that now Block some of the sun around my yard. My roses over the last 4-5 years have had brown spot, and a lot of damage that I can’t seem to get rid of. The Buds come out, then die. The leave are beautiful green then Also die. I have to be honest, I have only put about half my heart into these hoping they would straighten themselves out, but they haven’t. Every year it’s the same…. Now. I had one really good year of beautiful blossoms and full bushes, but that didn’t last and I haven’t had any since. I am curious to know if maybe I should move these now since this area they are in near my house tends to run damp, but moreso, I am concerned there might Be a disease of some kind in the dirt that is causing this. The other idea is … to buy some Miracle Grow and fill in around the roots, which are now showing and dying, as well as mixing some good dirt with the bad, or should I just move them altogether, and can they be safely moved to another area? My concern is they aren’t only not getting enough sun, but maybe are staying damp… I don’t like using heavy chemicals, nor any other things that are toxic… On the other side of my property which gets a lot of sun and stay dry, I have tons of black berries, which I have propagated since I found them years ago, and Have consistently cleaned the area, cut old stems and leaders and this year, have tons of berries overflowing in this area… If you could give me some advice on my roses.. these are natural and wild and I really don’t want them to die.
A: If the new growth on these bushes is red and distorted the roses may have the dreaded rose rosette disease. It is terminal and sadly nothing can be done to save the plants. Google photos of rose rosette disease to see if your roses look similar. Roses need 6 hours or more of direct sun a day in order to thrive. If you determine the plants do not have rose rosette. Cut them back hard - 10 to 12 inches in spring when they are dormant and transplant them to the sunny area. Enrich the soil with a mix of compost and Canadian peat moss. After they bloom, fertilize them with Rose Tone by Espoma. Best And Happy Yardening, Nancy
