You have to get rid of that mildew. It's a killer, especially of young roses. It all comes down to how much time you have to spend on nursing it to health, and are you motivated enough to do so.

It wants to live. As unfortunate as its circumstances are, look at the tiny flower bud. It knows its job in life and in spite of everything, it wants to bloom.

I would do all I could to save it.

Moses

Also, you've got a gift with roses. Look at your Earth Angels...magnificent! Put your talent to work. You may succeed or fail, but trying is succeeding in a different way.

Moses

I don't like the way the main cane looks. You might want to cut it down to the healthy tissue, even if that means removing the cane with the bud. Apply some fertilizer and cover it with a non-transparent pot. Hopefully, new buds will appear. Good luck!

PS. Correction: Sorry, I meant stimulator, not fertilizer.

Don't do that, Mx Chino. Leave the plant the way it is until it decides to live or die. Don't cover it. No more fertilizer for now.

Think of it like frostbite on toes from climbing Denali. You wait and only amputate after 6 months what parts have died. Patience is key here.

Stop fertilizer now. Because it is so small, the more leaves the better. As Moses said, it will have a better chance of survival if you are willing to treat the fungal disease.

I would pull the plug on it. But, I'm more brutal than others here. Is it an own root or grafted rose?

Thanks for the comments so far everyone. Some additional info, it's own root and I've been spraying it with copper fungicide but so far no improvement. I would normally just defoliiate it but I'm afraid it might stress it to much.

OK, folks, do you have experience save almost dead roses? I do. Using ’my’ method with stimulators and cover.

here is a rose saved right now

Here is rose saved after winter

They both grafted, with own root might be more challenge.

Chino, if you choose doing nothing your rose will be dead after first bloom.

I have experience with own root roses which are handled differently elena. They are rooted cuttings.

Grafted roses coming back from the ground is a common issue in cold climates, but the roses are not almost dead. I lived in Anchorage and I do think your method on grafted roses would work well.

Own root roses need to build their own root system and the leaves are needed to make energy for the plant. They don't have the stored energy grafted roses have.

OK, Sheila, what is your method to save own-root roses other than praying and letting the rose decide whether to survive or not? Not fertilizing is obvious advice.

PS. To develop a good root system in this particular case I would at least get rid of bud and use stimulators.

Only 1 person here has mentioned praying so far - it is not Sheila.

Moses - did you use photo-enhancing software to visualize the tiny bud? The green parts of the rose in question are particularly blurred in the photo provided. I can see a splotch of pixels where a bud might be present, but I don’t think you would bet the house on it sans a psylocybin congener.

Don’t forget to water the foliage.

I know others may disagree, but I would disbut it And let it focus it Attention on building roots and leaves. I have had excellent result with roots stimulator applied very dilute Cause I've mentioned prior.. I use this Cuttings On my rooted cuttings.

Vaporvac, I agree! :) But still check the main cane tissue.

Elena, sometimes the answer is what not to do. The baby cuttings can be killed by fertilizing, overwatering, underwatering, being in too much sun etc. One can be very careful with weakly diluted root stimulator like Vapor says. These fragile cuttings can come along and turn into great plants in time.

I have never been much of a disbudder, but others do that.

I think covering it would lead to black death.

Here, my cuttings root better uncovered. I know misting systems are great for rooting, but covering here has lead to rotting.

I have had the same experience sheila With covering the rootingsOr I should say cuttings. Cuttings. It was only when I uncovered them ,, kept them shady And well watered and I well draining mix but I started having that success I have now. I think miss system isPerfect for them I have 1 but never said it up cause I'm not going into business! LOLX pointpoint. I think Malcolm manners does his in full sun Closed On the sides with the mist system.

Sorry to get a bit off topic. But I do see this plant as an extension of growing my cuttings which I do all the time. I personally feel This 1 is well on it's way to being a good little plant.

Here are some better pictures

Why kill it? its in a pot and wants to live. if the pot is in the way you can move it

Had good luck using dilute skim milk sprayed on the leaves for powdery mildew.

Elena, I’m sure you’re a good rose mom, but I wouldn’t contradict Sheila…. She has been growing own root roses for years and has rescued plenty of doomed roses. She knows what she’s talking about.

It looks like it has a small bud. I would recommend pinching it off so it can focus on root development and not waste too much energy on flowering.

Judi, this forum is intended for open discussion, and I will continue to express my own opinions regardless of who I am engaging with and I do not require patronization from anyone. Thank you.

Rifis,

If you look at the first photo that Mx Chino provided, that's the one in his original post, below the big leaf that is pointing straight upward, to the right of it there appears (to my eyes), to be a little, slender flower bud. Could be wrong.

Concerning me having photo-enhancing software...God bless you for even thinking that: .first. that I am savvy with computers, .second. that if I had such software, that I would be smart enough to use it! I am a primitive regarding everything that needs to be plugged in, period!

Moses

Yes, everyone, Sheila's the go to person for all things concerning rose care. The Roses Forum is greatly indebted to her for her expertise. Not saying, that there aren't many others here in her league.

Moses

Mx Chino,

If you want to go conventional with ridding Juliet of her mildew issues, Immunox has been very good at doing it for me. I had a really bad powdery mildew spring this year, 2024, and Immunox turned that around after the first spray...with follow up sprays. I think it was our Ken who put me onto Immunox some time back as being the go to conventional fungicide for powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is more persistent than black spot here in hot, humid summer Pittsburgh. Powdery mildew usually attacks when it is rain less weather with hot days, and cool nights. Our springs and falls are sometimes rainless hot days with cool nights....bingo!...powdery mildew attacks.

Moses

Moses,

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to run out to lowes and get some. I have a couple other austins that are showing signs of beginning powdery mildew. Hope this stuff helps!

It certainly will. Follow the directions on the label. Copper spray is tricky, good but tricky. Can cause leaf damage even applied carefully.

Moses

Forgive me for making assumptions Mx Chino, but never spray anything on a dehydrated rose, or when temperature is higher than 80° F. Best to spray early in the morning, second best is very late evening. Always make sure in ground roses are well watered and have dry foliage before spraying. Example: Water real good the day before spraying , then spray the next morning.

Potted roses just need to be well watered and foliage dry. Put them in the shade and spray them there. After the foliage is dry, they can go back out into the sun. If you put your potted roses in the shade to be sprayed, the 80° F rule does not apply, so you can spray your potted roses any time as long as they are in the shade and well hydrated beforehand.

Sorry if you know all this, just thought you may not, and needed some instructions you don't get from labels on bottles of insect fungicides/insecticides.

Moses

I wonder if a cane borer got to that main cane. It looks like it has a hollowed center in a couple of the photos. Hopefully you'll get some new basal breaks so you can remove the cane.

I’m very sorry for having upset you, Elena. I had no intentions of patronizing anyone. I am only saying that as much as we all love roses, there are some among us who have more experience than others. I have been gardening ever since my childhood and yet I am glad to defer to others, such as Sheila, who have far more knowledge and experience than I do. Please forgive me for anything I said to irritate you.

Hi Moses,

I went ahead and applied it tonight. A nice cool 70 degree evening.

Next two weeks are going to be in the mid 90s. So this was my best chance. Here's hoping! 

Mx Chino, you're set to go. Keep us posted of the outcome. Good to have Immunox on hand. Mildew can pop up almost overnight. You'll be ready.

Moses

I agree with Moses and all that Immunox really works.

I'm confused. :) :) If the main and only cane is black...doesn't that mean that the rose is going to die? I have roses right now like that...and I don't see how they'll survive with the main cane black. Thoughts?

Rosecanadian, I believe Mx Chino said that there was a live section of stem running the length of the stem. I could be wrong. Hope he clarifies this point. And you are right, what I have observed is that when canker hits a cane all around it, any live growth above the canker is doomed, at least it has been in every case I have had.

Moses

There is a sliver of green that runs up to the live part

Based on the additional pictures provided, here's what I would do:

1. Cut off the live part and try to root it.
2. Trim the main cane up to the point where completely green tissue is visible on the cut.
3. Use rooting stimulators, cover the cut with wet paper applied with the stimulator, and then cover it with a gallon bottle.
4. Place it in a shaded area and hope for the best.

By the way, using a systemic fungicide on a baby plant to get rid of powdery mildew is not a good idea. As Vaporvac suggested, I would apply a milk or soda solution instead.

IMHO

Leave it alone. This is a rooted cutting.

Leaving it alome!

Please keep us posted. I am interested in outcome.

Thanks, Moses.

Sheila - I see. It's a own root rose, so new growth can come up, but must be fed by the leaves that are there?

Yes, the whole plant benefits in strength when leaves can feed it. When the plant is up to it, it will grow new basals. Later, the damaged cane can be removed when the plant has other has branches and leaves to feed it.

I thought of something… I don’t know if my idea is worth anything, but I think this plant looks like it has a very good chance of making a nice healthy bush eventually and wonder if planting it deeper would help improve the odds. I’m not saying that it’s the best thing to do, but I think if it were mine, I’d bring the soil line right up to the level where the only cane grows out of the rooted cutting and perhaps even more. I’ve done that with some of my little cutting grown plants and it seemed to give them a boost. But there may be good reasons not to do this that I’m not aware of.

Interesting idea Judy. Like trying to root a grafted rose. Has anyone else tried this?

Overwatering or rotting could be a risk. Here, the plant has roots it just needs to get stronger.

So, if the rose is grafted...it has no chance? But if own root...there is a chance. Do I have it? :)

Sheila, I did think of the possibility of rotting and was hoping you would weigh in on the idea. That hasn’t happened with mine that I’ve tried this method on, but then I live in an extremely dry climate.

Carol, a healthy new shoot could grow from a grafted rose graft, but the root would not be as likely to rot and would be older and less fragile.

This plant looks like a rooted cutting. At this stage, the plant needs patience and time to grow roots.

Judi, in our dry climates I don't know if we could overwater most roses, but the rooted cuttings/bands need simple basic care to get up to size.

Thanks, Sheila.