keithp2012 said:Last year I grew about 12 roses from seed, they were healthy and vigorous.
Spring is here and most look great, but a few have died or look very bad. They are all in the same area with same soil light and water. Could it be these were just genetically weak and the die offs were natural, not disease?
Keith, if you've only lost a few seedlings out of twelve, you are probably experiencing much better results than many. The vast majority of rose seedlings simply aren't good plants. Some don't develop good root systems. Some have genetic susceptibilities to fungal issues. Some aren't good at photosynthesizing the quantities of food they demand. I've routinely seen that the healthiest, most vigorous seedlings are those which generate the heaviest, most expansive root systems. Even those can exhibit disease issues to the various disease types. It can be quite interesting and educational to "autopsy" the dead seedlings. Carefully remove them from the soil, trying to retain as many of the roots as possible. You may find the weaker ones have virtually no fibrous feeder roots while those you transplant to grow on have massive, fibrous root systems. Much of what you see above ground, is determined by what we seldom see going on below the soil surface. When you start exploring what you can't usually see, lights will start turning on and dots start connecting and things make a whole lot more intuitive sense. I think you'll enjoy it. Good luck!
