In South Florida, roses with adequate water should be growing all year, so I don't quite understand "coming to life."

Have these climbing roses bloomed in previous years? Do they bloom in summer/fall as well as spring? Have you cut them way back recently?

I doubt if fertilizer is the issue.

They do grow all year long, but at the days grow shorter, everything tends to slow down dramatically, and usually, the blackspots gets so bad in the fall that the plant really gets defoliated. They start putting on all of their leaves in the spring. The roses bloom all year long. But put out a spectacular flush in the sping/summer and then again in the fall/winter. These two times are almost the same its defined more by increasing daylight and decreasing daylight. I did not cut them back at all, but they were pretty ratty by the end of the year due to the black spot.

The type of fertilizers you are using are slow and long-lasting, so the roses shouldn't be starving. If they started growing and then stopped, could they have run short of water?

that is a definite possibility. How much water do they need. I believe they get an inch a week. just like the lawn. If they need more, I have a microirrigation system specifically for the beds.

An inch a week is the default recommendation, but if you have sandy soil, once a week watering is not enough to keep the topsoil moist (except maybe in winter). Some of a one-inch watering is probably wasted below the root zone, so you might consider more frequent waterings of 1/2 or 2/3 inch. (Rose roots don't go as deep as turfgrass.) I think most Florida growers water 2 or 3 times a week in warm, dry weather. We used to water every 3 days.

thank you for your advice, I am going to try more frequent but less quantity watering. I do not mulch the rose beds. I got that from some thread I read some place. But now I think I will go ahead and mulch just to keep the soil moist.

Hello,

I would say that mulching is definitely necessary, it will help with watering and it might help you cut down on fertilizer too, but I think you will have to watch your watering with mulch, you don't want to start having fungus problems.

I would only water once a week at most and even that seems enormous. I grow many roses and I love it, but I think that if I had to water that much I would move on to other plants...water is just too precious to be wasted on ornamental plants (or lawns for that matter)...unless you water with rain water.

Pierre

I don't know--can't imagine NOT mulching the beds! And I agree with the poster above who suggests that sandy soil needs more frequent watering. In the dead heat of summer, if there is not rain, I water about 3X weekly.

Elaine

I just reread the lead post. Another possibility is that you applied too much 12-6-12 a month ago. If this is regular granular fertilizer, then 1/4 cup per square yard is the maximum. If it is coated, timed release fertilizer, then follow label directions. Excess nutrients can inhibit water uptake as well as causing more obvious damage.

I would definitely mulch. A while back we had here a successful grower in Florida who didn't mulch, but he watered lightly every other day.