Rose blooms are drying up

6 Jun '06 11:47 am

A lot of my rose blooms (many different varieties) are becoming dry & crispy looking when they are only partially open. They are getting the right amount of water & food. The temperature has been in the high 80s. There has been no rain lately. What could be causing this to happen?

6 Jun '06 10:15 pm

Dear Isadora --what a lovely name you've got!

I have not any personal experience on this phaenomenon so far, but I ran to one of my Rose books for help. And look what I found:

" Balling

Buds develop normally, but the petals fail to open and then turn brown. It is usually due to the effect of wet weather on varieties with large, thin-petalled blooms. Balling is always worst on a shady spot , where the buds are shielded from the drying rays of the sun. It can also be caused by a heavy greenfly attack."

Is there a humid atmosphere around the plants, although it hasn't rained lately? Do they have enough sun?

Has this helped a little? Good luck!

7 Jun '06 3:09 am

Hello! The roses haven't been getting wet and they are well ventilated (plenty of space between them). There is no shade. I wonder about the green flies? I haven't noticed anything but aphids. We seem to be having a big problem with aphids this season. I do spray them. I will look into green flies on the internet to see what I can learn about them. I appricate your help with this!

22 Jun '06 11:28 pm

Hi Isadora! I live in a hot dry climate and this happens to me every summer. The reason why they do this is beause even with ample water,when temperatures rise the rose bush can't keep up with the amount of water that is lost through the leaves and blooms. The flowers are more vulnerable than the leaves to drying and they usually show the signs of heat stress first. I have consulted many rose experts on this and the only thing they tell me is to wait for autumn when the weather is cooler. Oh, one person suggested a 10 minute watering about noon every day. I was going to try that this summer and see if it works. I will post my results if it does.

23 Jun '06 2:59 am

Hi Nancy, That does make sense. It has been very hot & arid. The temps are in the mid to high 90s with little humidity. In fact we are on a high fire danger alert right now. My poor roses are so pathetic. They are all budding in large numbers but can't make it to a full bloom before drying. I will also try your plan of watering at mid-day and we can compare our results. Thanks a bunch for your response Very Happy

Rose blooms are drying up

Rose blooms are drying up

"Balling"

Dry rose buds

Dry rose buds