I’m very new at this and for the most part I don’t really know what I’m doing- I don’t know a whole lot about roses, so any advice would be wonderful.
I had success on my first try of cross pollination, but ever since, my mother rose plant has been doing some weird stuff. All the foilage that was there already is curling under and the leaves are not really pliable- almost brittle- but they aren’t dry or dead. And then all the new foilage is fine in that regard, but it’s a much paler color. Is this a common problem? What do I do?
Another concern is I have leaf hoppers. Will spraying them affect the hips or keep them from maturing? I don’t want them to fall off prematurely or anything.
Oh- and is there any way to identify a rose bush? I’m not positive what the father plant was (I think Jadis), but it would be nice to know for sure. The mother is Bewitched.
Thanks.
Valerie
Valerie, what zone are you in? Has it been very hot there? Sounds like your mother plant is suffering from the heat. I doubt that it’s related to the hips forming - just a coincidence. If it’s been hot and windy that could account for it. New growth on roses sometimes gets chlorotic under those conditions. If you let the rose bush dry out too much OR overwater OR overfertilize, you could lose the forming hips. If you fertilize, do it lightly. I have not had a problem with fertilizing during hip development, but some have. Mainly it seems to be too much nitrogen that gets blamed for hip loss when fertilizing. Also, are the veins green? If so, your plant may need a dose of iron or manganese - again related to nutrient uptake in hot weather.
I can’t address your question about spraying because I don’t spray very much.
As for the dad, short of DNA analysis, you can’t tell, so your babies will be “Bewitched x Open Pollinated” or “Bewitched x Seedling.”
Thanks, Judith. I’m in eastern Idaho right now- it has been hot and it’s ALWAYS windy here. The new growth has kind of reddish veins, but the leaves themselves are a pale green. It should be a dark or medium green.
Thanks again for your suggestions- I’ll look into it.
If you made the cross, so you know what plant you used pollen from, you could try posting to the rose ID forum on GardenWeb to see if someone there can ID your plant. Or see if there is a local rose society where someone might be familiar with that rose. If the bees did the work, then Judith’s answer is correct.
Thanks for clarifying that Joan. Perhaps someone CAN identify Valerie’s plant.
I have a few roses I bought as ‘mystery’ roses that have been ‘identified,’ and have used them as parents, but I’m reluctant to register them as parents because I cannot be certain that the identification is correct. I guess one can NEVER be 100% certain anyway. 