Plant roses in garden, not pot in the lower desert
Question: We moved down here from South Dakota two years ago because of our health. Over the years we raised roses. Last fall we decided to purchase a 16- by 20-inch pot from a Queen Creek nursery. We also purchased its recommended planting soil/ mulch, a tidy $95 investment (plus Bayer rose and flower care). I read your columns the first thing every Saturday, and somewhere along the way I read that roses should be heavily pruned in January, which I did. The growing season has begun and I am disappointed with the roses. We placed the pot on the north side of our south-facing home. Yellowing of the leaves began to occur, which to me meant over-watering, so I cut back. Then leaves began to turn black and curl. The nursery said roses love morning sun and because days are growing longer, at their recommendation I moved the pot closer to our home. The roses now receive seven to eight hours of morning and mid-day sun. The nursery said dark leaves was an indication of lack of water as roses need 7 gallons of water a week. The rose has eight small buds occurring this week, some yellowing of leaves along with some leaves curling and turning black on the lower level of the plant; and water running out the bottom of the pot while we water11⁄ gallons of water every other day. Please, your diagnosis for this South Dakota cowboy.
OK, I will have to crack your rose-colored pot plans. Roses are not successful grown in containers in the lower desert. The summer temperatures are too extreme for their proper care in a pot. You will experience success only in winter months. Try it in a pot during the winter but be prepared to plant it in a sunny spot in your garden if you want it to survive.
old and 5 feet tall. Last year, when the “bud” in the center opened, all the fronds were really curly; no straight fronds like the old ones were. When the new curly ones grew, the old fronds started to turn very brown at the edges and looked awful. I showed a picture of it to the gardener at A&P Nursery, and she suggested I use manganese sulfate on the base and water it in. That was six months ago, and it doesn’t look a bit different. Have you any suggestions for this problem?
— Phyllis Sipes It sounds like you might have an infestation of aphids on the young shoots that cause this growth distortion. I would look for evidence of honeydew on or around the growth. You can control aphids with insecticidal soap. Always follow instructions on the label. I would follow the fertilizing instructions you received as well. You will just have to catch the aphids as the new growth emerges and keep up with it until they are gone.
am I not fertilizing it properly? I’ve fertilized it twice since putting it out in the yard with Miracle-Gro. Is this sufficient or would you recommend a different fertilizer?
— Darren Bertini I consulted Dan Smith, who is an Adenium expert. This is Dan’s recommendation:
“I think the first thing I would do is check the plant for rot. Feel the caudex and make sure it’s firm. Adenium, as you know are winter dormant, and along with probable root damage with transplanting and transplanting at a time when the plant is dormant sends up large danger signs. The amount of sun would be OK as soon as the plant is acclimated to that level. I would not have recommended fertilizing this plant until late April. When fertilization is needed, I would recommend a low-nitrogen fertilizer. I would recommend putting the plant back in a pot where the climate conditions can be more easily controlled. Do not water when the night-time temperatures fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit and protect it from any chance of frost. Brian Kissinger is director of horticulture at the Desert Botanical Garden. E-mail garden questions to bkissinger@dbg.org.