I’m losing leaves on my American beauty roses - Ask Extension
Dear Sir and Madame,
I’m losing leaves off of my favorite American beauty roses as well as on some of my flowers .
Salvia and another I am unabl...
Knowledgebase
I’m losing leaves on my American beauty roses #870941
Asked May 31, 2024, 12:30 PM EDT
Dear Sir and Madame,
I’m losing leaves off of my favorite American beauty roses as well as on some of my flowers .
Salvia and another I am unable to remember the name, but I will provide you the pictures.
We have a lot of slugs but I don’t know what to do to deter them?
Thankyou
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
It's hard to tell if slugs/snails are responsible, but if they are (and you mentioned you've seen a lot of them around), you can find management options on our Slugs and Snails on Flowers page.
It's hard to see the rose clearly, but missing leaves could be due to deer browsing, as they love to eat roses (especially flower buds). Do deer visit the yard? If leaves have fallen (though we don't see any on the ground), or if branches have suffered some dieback, there could be fungal infections present, as roses can be vulnerable to a few conditions.
Is the rose located in full sun, where it gets about 6 or more hours of direct sun a day? If not, too little sun can reduce the vigor of the plants, causing poor growth and flowering and impacting how readily the plant can rebound from losing leaves to deer, insects, disease, or other causes. We weren't certain, since there is an Impatiens plant (shade-loving) nearby as well as an annual Geranium (sun-loving) on its other side.
We think we see a piece of landscape fabric (weed-block material) peeking-out from the mulch near the rose. Is this lying under the mulch all around the plant? If so, is it possible to remove it and just have the mulch lying on top of the soil surface? Landscape fabric might interfere with soil conditions needed to keep roots healthy, and it can make it hard to monitor the plant for watering needs since it blocks access to directly feeling the soil several inches deep.
If the rose is too weak from several years of poor growth, it might not recover well, but it's hard to tell what began the decline. While we usually don't recommend using fertilizer on ailing plants, in this case, it might help to jump-start a little growth, assuming deer are not in the area. There are some brands that sell fertilizer formulated for roses, but you don't need to use something that specific if you have another type handy. If used, apply it as directed on the label in terms of dosage.
With additional photos of the rose foliage and/or stems, and more information about its growing conditions, we might be able to make a more educated guess as to what is bothering the plant.
Miri
It's hard to see the rose clearly, but missing leaves could be due to deer browsing, as they love to eat roses (especially flower buds). Do deer visit the yard? If leaves have fallen (though we don't see any on the ground), or if branches have suffered some dieback, there could be fungal infections present, as roses can be vulnerable to a few conditions.
Is the rose located in full sun, where it gets about 6 or more hours of direct sun a day? If not, too little sun can reduce the vigor of the plants, causing poor growth and flowering and impacting how readily the plant can rebound from losing leaves to deer, insects, disease, or other causes. We weren't certain, since there is an Impatiens plant (shade-loving) nearby as well as an annual Geranium (sun-loving) on its other side.
We think we see a piece of landscape fabric (weed-block material) peeking-out from the mulch near the rose. Is this lying under the mulch all around the plant? If so, is it possible to remove it and just have the mulch lying on top of the soil surface? Landscape fabric might interfere with soil conditions needed to keep roots healthy, and it can make it hard to monitor the plant for watering needs since it blocks access to directly feeling the soil several inches deep.
If the rose is too weak from several years of poor growth, it might not recover well, but it's hard to tell what began the decline. While we usually don't recommend using fertilizer on ailing plants, in this case, it might help to jump-start a little growth, assuming deer are not in the area. There are some brands that sell fertilizer formulated for roses, but you don't need to use something that specific if you have another type handy. If used, apply it as directed on the label in terms of dosage.
With additional photos of the rose foliage and/or stems, and more information about its growing conditions, we might be able to make a more educated guess as to what is bothering the plant.
Miri
