Help! My mini-rosebush is ill!!

[cydira]

I'm trying to nurse my mini-rosebush back to health. It got dehydrated while I was away and now it is having a strange thing happen with it. Sections of the plant have small bright green leaves, while otheres don't seem to be getting any water to them and it looks like it is still dehydrated....

Please help me bring it back to health. I'm an utter neophyte when it comes to taking care of plants. :(

[Niamh]

These plants are really finicky but hardy. Don't worry, it will be fine! Water it, but don't saturate it. Also, it doesn't need a heck of a lot of direct sunlight, or it will burn to a crisp. Also, you might want to check and see if it needs re-potting. Granted, I would wait to re pot for a few days, until things are a little healthier.

[cydira]

Who knows, I may actually learn how to take care of my plants instead of having them turn brown and die on me. <grins> I'm not quite that bad, but I'm still learning. Thanks for your help.

[Moonwillow]

Hi Cydira,

I am assuming your plant is indoors from the previous post?

How long did this plant go without water?

Did the soil repel the water when you first tried to water it?

If the leaves are brown, they are not dehydrated, they are dead. They will not come back to life with more water, you will give the plant root rot and it will die. Roses do not like "wet feet".

If there are stems that are brown and dry, scratch the surface with a sharp knife or nip a piece of the stem off. If it is green inside, it is alive, if it is brown, it is dead. Keep cutting it back until you find live wood. The stems where the green leaves are growing are alive, trim those back to live wood as well (if there is any dead wood on them). Even if all of the plant is dead except the one stem, it will still rejuvenate itself back to a full
plant in time, once you prune away the dead areas.

They do require bright or high light but not direct sunlight INDOORS. Planted outdoors, they require full sun.

This plant is really stressed out, Do Not under any circumstances repot it, when it is stressed. IF it MUST be repotted, you'll have to wait until it is completely recovered and thriving again before doing so.

Good luck!:)

[gogogeorgia]

Hi, I've heard that fish fertilizer and placentas are very good for roses.

[Vinga]

Tea (cold) is a good, not too strong fertilizer for roses (some fertilizers will burn the roots if the soil is dry, never fertilize a dehydrated plant, water first then water & fertilize a day or two later). If you are planting a rosebush outside or repotting one indoors you can bury some old used teabags in the soil.
Otherwise Moonwillow pretty much covered it :).
Best of luck to your little buddy!

[gogogeorgia]

WOW, Thank you Vinga, I never knew that about watering first, then fertilizing, If I would've been there to help I probably would have killed the little gaffer by now!

I learn something new everyday!