I just bought a rose bush at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago, and I obviously don't know how to care for it. All the flowers and buds that were on it dried up, and most fell away, the rest I snipped. Many of the leaves have dried up. The soil has always been moist, and I even gave it food! Help? Thank you for your time...
Being that those mini roses are "real roses" they don't do well indoors and are prone to spidermites as well like indoor ivy.That might be the case with yours, as well as low humidity in a warm room. They should be kept in a cool room with bright light and moist soil. I planted mine (which got spidermites) outdoors in a semi sunny semi moist location and it came back the following year. Then I moved it and it died! I hope you have better luck with your!
Thank you. Would trimming all of the dead or dying stems close to the soil line be beneficial? I have maybe one stem of several that isn't nearly entirely dried up.
does the pot it's in have drainage holes?? i'm wondering if it's not completely waterlogged and that's what's causing the problems?
Buy roses from garden a centre where experienced people take care of them. That said most mini roses are forced to bloom so they sell. Producing lots of blooms and very little roots in a peat base soil which holds a lot of water. Roses do not like their feet wet all the time or too hot of an enviroment around the pot, a well drained soil is best. I would take the plant out of the pot its in and remove most of the soil ,you can run it under a tap, and remove any dead roots and repot it in a slightly bigger pot with new soil. Move it out of direct sunlite to a cooler part of the house to let it rest then move it back when it shows signs of growing. Do not cut it back any leaves left are still suppling some nutrition to the plant. Spray with a mister if you have it inside and water from the bottom a first. I have two minis that where given to me in my garden outside. These have survived for a number of years but they take a long time to get established and we have lost more than we have had success with.
Yes, it would, if the roots are rotten from being waterlogged. And this is the paradox - the plant may have started by being over watered. The roots start to rot, and as they do, the plant can't take up the water, and start to wilt. The natural response to wilting is to water even more, which then compounds the problem. To make a diagnosis, knock the pot off and examine the state of the roots. If the growing medium is waterlogged, and the roots look a dirty brown (instead of white or light yellow), and are soft and soggy (instead of turgid and springy), then it is an overwatering problem. With the degree of damage as you described, this rose is beyond salvaging. If you have only bought the rose in the last few days, take it back to the store and demand a refund. Use that money, and get a new rose from a nursery whose staff knows what they are doing!
I agree that miniature roses do best in the ground. I had one that started to fail before I could get it planted. Unlike 1950Greg I did prune it back 1/2 once I got it into the ground and it ralleyed. Try to get it in the ground as soon as you can. I have six now and I'm still shopping! Mine all struggled the first year a bit but then were fine but I did buy them from nurserys where they were not being forced (or at least that was what I was told). Also my climate is drier which might make a difference too.Hope this helps. Les
What I have encountered here is them being grown in a potting medium that dries out readily and then sheds water. After you water the outside is dampened but the inside is dry. Knocking yours out of the pot after it shriveled you might have discovered that it was sitting in dust. Apparently the growers use a frequent (perhaps several times per day) watering regime making the plants vulnerable after they leave the production facility and end up in the care of those of us who expect a more normal watering requirement. The remedy is to immerse the bottom of the plant in a container of clean water until it stops bubbling. If there is little or no bubbling the specimen is already quite damp.
