Hi All, I posted a while back about rose leaves ragged by blooming. So now, the first flush of bloom happened and they were beautiful and abundant. However, there're almost no new growth now and the ones that came up earlier look burned and started drying out. I'm starting to suspect that it's due to fertilizer (I applied twice earlier in the year), or chemical (I sprayed neem oil on a very hot day) burn to the plant. I examined the branch and the back of the leaves and there didn't appear to be any fungal or insects bites.

Has anyone had an experience with this? And did the rose manage to survive?

If you sprayed Neem Oil (or any oil) in hot weather, that is probably your problem.

How do I know this? "Learn by doing," as they say . . . I did that, and burned the foliage to a crisp. The rose lived.

I have learned that oils will do that in temperatures as low as 75, so we never, never do that, now.

I agree with Jeri and I'm in cool, damp Michigan. I have burned my roses by spraying with an oil mixture on too hot of a day. Now I just won't use any kind of oil spray at all. Not worth the risk.

The rose will live! Any leaves that are still OK and green leave alone. Pull off any crispy leaves. If it is still hot and sunny find a way to provide the rose with some shade during the hottest part of the day. That will protect the bare canes from burning, which they can do. Keep it well watered. It needs the extra moisture. Leaves should start to grow back in a few weeks. If they just finished a flush of blooms they are taking a little rest before they start to put on new growth for a second flush. That is normal and not a problem. They just used up a ton of energy blooming and need to build up more for the next bloom. While it is sometimes recommended to fertilize right after the first flush I would not recommend it now with your roses in an already stressed condition. Maybe some weak organics but that would be it. No chemicals!

Give them a rest and be patient. They will bloom again!

Thanks!

And yes, I was too zealous with neem oil spray when I found some aphids in my garden. It was a very sunny and hot day. I think I killed all the new growth too. Right now the first flush of flowers is gone and only the burnt leaves are left. I'll keep watering it.

Thanks for all the advice. Fingers crossed ...