Knock Out Roses Not Blooming

Question

I planted my knock out roses last spring and they bloomed until fall. This spring they started getting blooms, but now they have stopped blooming. I did not prune them this year, but I have fertilized them with food for roses. Could you give me some hints as to what I need to do to get them blooming again? Also, it has been very dry in the area where we live. I live in upstate SC.

Answer 1

It sounds like the rosebushes are under stress of some kind. I would inspect them real well, even underneath the leaves, to see if there are any insect issues cropping up. The hot and dry conditions can cause some heat stress, especially if there has been some wind along with it. The wind in hot conditions acts a bit like a hair dryer and draws the moisture out fairly quickly. In hot temp conditions of the mid 90’s and higher, I recommend rinsing the foliage down with cool water from the garden hose using a watering wand either in the early evenings when the temps have begun to cool or first thing in the morning prior to the temps getting into cooking mode! The cooling of the foliage does help with the heat stress and can go a long way in getting them blooming again. I also recommend doing a shaping and thinning pruning. The is help free up the centers of the rosebushes a bit and allow better air movement through the rosebushes, also helping to keep them cooler and relieve some of the heat stress. Also, here is a link to an article on this subject for you to check out: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/no-blooms-on-roses.htm