How to treat a rose rose with curling leaves?

[John57]

So they’re the curling ones, below the rose next to this one. Only 1/5 are curling…

Any ideas most welcome please.

John

Community manager's note: Check out How to diagnose a sick plant for expert advice. 

[EricL]

Hi @John57 

When was the last time you fertilized the soil around the rose? The common causes of leaf curling can range from insect infestation, disease and soil condition. If the first two are not present odds are its the soil that's lacking nutrients. 

Often times when you get leaves that cup or curl it is an indication that the soil needs nutrients such as magnesium or calcium. I suggest having a look at Seasol 2.5kg Plus Nutrients Roses And Flowers. It has iron, magnesium and calcium to promote healthy budding and flowering.

However, having had a good look at your photos, I can see some of the leaves have brown spotting. It could be early stages of black spotting. I propose treating it with Seasol EarthCare 1L Rose Black Spot & Insect Spray.

Let me call on our experienced members @Noelle and @Adam_W for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Noelle]

Hi @John57 

I'd suspect a water stress problem - the leaves are not displaying symptoms of nutrient or specific element deficiencies.

I note the trunk is fairly heavily bound to the supporting stake - is it cutting into the bark, interrupting sap flow? A soft material like an old stocking or even a velcro-like plant tie would be a better option than what appears to be electrical cable of some sort.

The other thing could be the roots themselves.  The rose appears to be reasonably young and maybe recently planted - was the root system pot-bound when you removed it from the container? If the roots are circling around themselves they may not be able to absorb sufficient moisture to sustain the plant.

Lots of things to look at and consider!

[John57]

Thanks for your thoughts here. The tie used is flexible black plastic plant tie. Sold by Bunnings. The plant has been watered and fertilized well. As you say, it’s not showing any signs of specific nutrient deficiencies. As for root bound, this plant was put in well over two years ago, was it root bound in the pot? I can’t recall. We treat it with epsom salts in addition to rose fertilizer. The soil was well prepared as it’s adjacent siblings demonstrate and even this plant delivers roses too. Not sure what to do next, so far…please keep the ideas coming, thanks.

[John57]

Oh and I am spraying Yates black spot and insect spray regularly on both sides of the plant leaves. Vigorously

[MitchellMc]

Hi @John57,

The tightly bound plant tie is also one of the first things I noticed. Please remove the tie and loosen it. I think you'll find that when removed, there will be a noticeable indentation in the stem. Even though it's flexible, you have done a very nice job of binding the stem, and it will have all but cut-off transfer of sap flow in another year. You might like to swap the current tie out for a Jack 40m Traditional Cloth Plant Tie. 

It's interesting that you say you're spraying insect spray vigorously. Would that be an oil-based spray like Eco-oil? Using an excessive amount of eco-oil or neem oil coats the surface of the leaves and blocks the pores. This inhibits the plant's ability to respire. The leaves will find it difficult to create the required nutrients, and they will start drooping or turning yellow. This drooping effect is possibly what you're seeing here. I'd suggest applying the products as per the recommendations on the packaging. However, if you are applying the products at the same rate as the other roses, then that would likely rule out this theory.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[John57]

A handy piece of velcro tape now holds this rose firm.

Interestingly, all the other roses in this row are held by the same Bunnings plastic stretchy tie, without any problems. The reason for tying these roses up well, is that we get very strong winds above 50kmh and peak gusts over 70 kmh at the front of the house and over 90kmh at the back of our house. 

Well, if the ties were the issue, should we expect a change in leaf curl, you know as the plant is able to 'drink' more easily now? Let's standby!

 

[John57]

On the eco oil hypothesis, no I am not using this spray, I am using Bunnings (earlier I said Yates, but no, its Bunnings) black spot and insect Rose spray. Over spraying, who knows? Instructions for this say, "Thoroughly spray to all foliage including under surfaces. ... Repeat every 14 days if required. Two-spotted mites may need more frequent applications." There's lots of new shoots on this rose plant, so lets see. This hypothesis with revised spray as an issue remains open. I usually spray for a reason, including the presence of black spot or aphids, so no I don't think over spraying is the reason here. Esp. again as I run this row of roses with the same treatments... let's see if anything changes for this plant.

[EricL]

Hi @John57 

Thank you for that update on your roses. Hopefully, removing the old straps will improve the plants disposition. We'll have to wait and see if there is any improvement in the roses health. In the meantime, I suggest having a look at your watering schedule and perhaps modifying it to suit the weather in your area.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric