I have a couple of rose bushes that i planted a few years ago yet every year it only grows about 1 or 2 stems that only grow to be about 1-2 foot from the stock(i think thats the little hump that the rose grows from??) It seems that every rose Ive planted along this area (my chain link fence line) has this problem. I am in central Oklahoma so we have red clay so im not sure what to do. I thought i bought "Easy to grow climbers" or at least if i remember correctly it should be either a climbing blaze or climbing don juan or fragrant cloud. (Sorry, i lost the tag off of it last year. ) The other one is a royal highness. and it only produced 1 single stem so far with some foilage around the base. I have the same issue with my other 3 rose bushes (3 out of 5 that my cows decided to eat) that are stubby bushes ... I know one is supose to be a good climber but its thin and smaller and older than my others. these roses are..... 'hot n spicey' (climber i believe) and 'golden showers" climber.. this one is the thin longer stems. . These roses are in better soil (no red clay). Top soil w/mulch. I have pics of these but dont know how to post them yet. Well, this is long enough, just let me know all your thoughts! Thanks ahead of time!!
Sarah, did you plant them in top soil or garden soil? Depending on the brand, top soil can have no value at all for gardening purposes. Adding compost to the mixture might help. When amending the soil before planting it sometimes means amending the whole bed area and not just the hole the roses are planted in. A Blaze I recently transplanted had a root more than two feet long and if our land had not previously been a cotton field it would have not been able to thrive in the black clay that passes for soil down here. Also, how much sun light is the area getting? If it is not getting at least 6 hours of sun daily then your roses will be stunted.
Toni> thanks ! and I dont remember if it was just top soil i used.. I will probably have to dig itup and add some compost to it. I have it fertalized regulary with some 'cattlemens tea' (for those who dont know, its just straight cow manure in a jug of water then i let it sit after i put a small amount in several gallon jugs. (so its not straight concentrate..) then i let that sit more to let it 'cool down' ..) i pour 2 gallons of my tea per rose bush. It has made them grow pretty well except the stunted ones. I have yet to start my own compost pile. I put some leaves and manure and rotten veggies in a garbage can but i havent got to add any dirt to let it start turning yet. I did this last year, and nothing is really breaking down no matter how many times i turn it. Will airating my dirt next to my roses help you think? As for the light the plants are getting, the ones in the back are getting full morning up to noon light, and the ones along the fence are getting the same except they get the hottest part of the day in the shade then back to evening light. Are there roses that do better under trees ? I have an arbor that has 2 rose bushes on each side andonly one side (not under the tree) does good. they are halfway up my arbor. The other 2 are shorter and one climber (Handel) i think i acidentally cut to root stock and its now a red rose only.)
