I'm new to roses. I now know I was supposed to bury the graft. Are these the grafts that should have been buried since I'm zone 5?




I know the knockouts are more trouble free but these were only $5 at a big box store.
-- Gene Boerner, Floribunda Rose Bush (pink)
-- Mr. Lincoln, Hybrid Tea Rose Bush (red)
-- Chrysler Imperial, Hybrid Tea Rose Bush (red)

...I've already got what looks to me like powdery mildew? After only 2 weeks!

+1 Nothing0. Mulching is fine; build a donut around the bush, particularly for winter. You can even cover the bud graft in winter with mulch, but release it in spring.

There ain't nuthin' wrong with a cheap rose, and the Mr. Lincoln is particularly lovely.

Thanks guys. I guess they're planted fine then. I'll go pick up some Bayer 3-1. I thought I'd have to re-plant it down another 6-8 inches.

I would say those are planted a bit too high. Not really a big deal, but you will have to work harder to overwinter them. The graft union is often the most fragile part of the plant, and if the grafted top dies all you will have is the rugosa root system which generally aren't pretty roses and tend to bloom just once in the spring. for winter protection, you want to protect them as they go dormant, but before the first hard frost. In a southeast Michigan zone 5 microclimate, I would completely cover the graft union and about 2 inches of the canes with compost. I would then layer mulch over that to protect the canes to about 6 inches. The final layer of my winter protection was unmulched leaves for a couple inches. I like to leave my canes long in the winter, so I would only take the tops off them after the first frost. I do my aggressive pruning and removal of dead canes in the spring just as the plants are coming out of dormancy.

As for the leaves, that looks more like fertilizer burn or burn from watering in the afternoon under the sun. I see it a lot on roses in the nursery. Powdery Mildew looks more like a white haze on the leaves. Pic below from Click here for more information



I would watch what you have. If it doesn't get worse, I wouldn't worry about it. If the roses were not in full sun when you bought them, a couple weeks under some shade cloth may also help them with the stress of planting and reduce leaf burn.

If you are going to spray chemicals for fungi (and you will probably need to do something), the Bayer fungicide is good. I prefer the flexibility of plain fungicide unmixed, but there is nothing really wrong with the combined products. If you do use chemical fungicides, be careful about spraying in high temperatures or onto dehydrated plants. You can cause burn. You can also control fungi organically if you want. It is harder and a bad fungus outbreak on newly planted roses can cause them to loose all their leaves and even kill the plant so you need to be very proactive. Actinovate and Serenade are both organic anti-fungals, but I have no experience with either one. There are other organic treatments. Baking Soda is pretty mild to the rose. Sulfur and Copper sprays are stronger and more likely to cause burn.

A couple more points. Your roses will be happier with mulch under them. It will help to regulate soil temp and make the roots happier. I like 2 inches deep with a small ~3 inch circle directly under the bush that is free of mulch. Some people like the whole area mulched. You can also build a little dam of soil around the base of the plant about 12-16 inches in diameter that will help with retaining water when you irrigate them. If you do, just mulch over the top and you won't even know it is there.

Lastly, Mr. Lincoln is a great rose with good blooms, color and just about the best scent you can find in a red rose. It is pretty much the standard by which red roses are measured. Chrysler Imperial is also a great red rose, but can be somewhat winter fragile so may need more winter protection than the others. I don't know much about Gene Boerner, but from what I have read it looks like a good rose.