Not every rose that looks dead or dying has actually died, because withered or poorly growing specimens in particular can often be saved. You can easily find out for yourself whether such a project can bear fruit with the acid test: scratch lightly on several shoots different places with your fingernail, then you can see whether the shoot underneath is still alive. Many rose varieties can also be brought back to life with a radical pruning.
Depending on the extent of the infestation, diseased roses can often be saved
Revive withered roses
First of all: Not everything that looks dried up has actually perished from a lack of water. Sometimes it is not too little, but - on the contrary - too much water that causes withered shoots and yellow leaves. So before you water your rose, which is supposedly damaged by a lack of water, and thus make everything worse, you should check the roots of the plant: If the fine hairy roots no longer look white, but have turned brownish and / or appear rotten, then they were You have been too lavish with the watering or the soil is not permeable and loose enough. You save these roses by using
- dig up the rose or take it out of the pot.
- Remove any soil clinging to the roots.
- Cut back the rotted and damaged roots.
- Prune the rose heavily, even above ground.
- Either transplant the plant to a new location,
- change the substrate in the pot and possibly use a new pot
- or carry out a soil improvement in the garden.
If, on the other hand, excessive dryness is the cause, then water the roses thoroughly and don't forget to fertilize them regularly. For this purpose, it is best to place potted roses together with the root ball in a bucket of water - as soon as the plant has drunk its fill, water bubbles will rise.
Be sure to cut back sick roses
Roses are quite susceptible to fungal diseases or pest infestation. You can prevent these diseases in a certain way by only planting robust varieties, paying attention to an optimal location and good care. In the case of many fungal diseases, the only thing that helps is to cut away the affected parts of the plant immediately and then dispose of them with household waste. Spraying the roses (e.g. with horsetail broth or nettle manure) can also help, because these natural agents disinfect and strengthen the plant.
tips
Overgrown roses can often be saved with a strong and targeted pruning, but you must be aware of the following: After such a pruning, it can sometimes take years for the rose to recover and bloom again.