How to feed a very large rose?

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

We have an almost 20 year old climbing rose (John Cabot) that we love lots. It is part of a largish garden, surrounded all around by many perennials. It has been trained to climb up a trellised brick wall and has attained a height of 12 feet and width of maybe 7 feet.

It blooms beautifully each June but by August and beyond it looks more than worse for wear with leaves falling off to the extent that some of the higher climbing canes have died :(.

I wanting to see if I can keep this JC more heathy as the summer progresses and I am wondering if paying more attention to its nutrition through the whole season might be helpful?

The only feeding it has gets from me is via compost laid down a couple of times each season.

Am I correct in thinking that roses are "heavy feeders"? Would/should compost alone be enough for such a large rose bush? *If* supplemental fertilization would help, what are the "nuts and bolts" of applying it? Does one simply use a watering can with mixed in fertilizer, applied to the base of the rose or does one need to also apply it further away from the base given its large size?

Featured Answer

mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)

3 years ago

*Some* roses are heavy feeders. If John Cabot is one of those, it is news to me, and my extremely neglected John Cabot. What is more likely is that you are running into the end of the natural lifespan of some major canes. Rose canes do not live forever. How long they live varies depending on the parentage of the variety. I have gallicas that have canes that live three years, at most, and species roses where canes are dying off at 25. Given what I'm seeing with my about 20 year old John Cabot, major cane dieoff started a couple of years ago.

So if a cane is dead or dying, get rid of it. If you haven't already, you will find that some canes are dead to the ground, and will take a saw to cut out. The goal is to get sunlight where new canes might appear. I find it easier to do major cutting in the spring, when I don't have to tear apart leaves to pull the dead out, but it can be done anytime.

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Comments (9)

rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Great info @mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)....thanks.

I find it easier to do major cutting in the spring,

Yup. I am so glad I did just that back in April. And the bottom half looks nice and green with these new younger canes and there are tons of flower buds.
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Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
3 years ago
Thanks mad, that's great info.
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a) thanked Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
dodgerdudette
3 years ago
I've had up to almost 70 roses in my garden and rarely if ever fert any of them. I'm in zone 9 Norcal . Down to about 30 now and still no fert but definitely compost. MadG is right-some are short lived . By the way, I've been lurking but PM2 and Woody can vouch for me from back in the day when I posted regularly I'm one of those Idyll peeps. .
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a) thanked dodgerdudette
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years ago
20 years of success with benign neglect.. and all of a sudden you figure you can screw it up by overthinking it now???..i vote for more benign neglect ....

if you insist .... give it a watering can of half strength water sol.. and walk away...

no fert after sept first in our cold zone ... which means.. no time release that releases too close to ground freeze ... in fact.. just never use time release ... its for pot culture.. not mother earth....

ken
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
This is the one in question as of a few days ago:

By the end of last season almost all of the canes that grow high...up the right side of the window and then over it.....died. I cut most of them out early this spring...as suggested by @mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY). (Much of what you are seeing is new growth.)

As well for this rose it isnt unusual for the foliage to yellow and the leaves drop (through August and into the Fall.) I have another very established John Cabot out front and it has never done similarly.
Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
3 years ago
I sometimes lose canes to stem girdler/borer damage. The damaged canes can leaf out and bloom before the damage starts to become more apparent when the foliage suddenly wilts and you lose all the cane above the insect damaged spot. John Cabot is my only rose that I've had this issue with. I'll try to find a photo of what the stem damage looks like, and maybe you can be on the lookout for it.
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a) thanked Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a) thanked Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
Original Author
3 years ago
Good info and excellent pictures @Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b). I will keep my eyes peeled going forward.