Knockout roses dying

Question

I am a first time gardener. My husband and I bought a home and I wanted to plant some shrubs, flowers etc. I bought 4 rose bushes, all of these plants were in containers, I bought the plants a few weeks ago thinking I could go ahead and plant them. I did some research and found out I’m not supposed to plant anything until mid spring. So all of the plants I take out in the daytime to get sunlight and then bring them back in at night when the temps are low. When the temp is going to be in the high 30s and above I just leave the plants outside. But my problem is with my knockout rosebush, it is dying, about half of it is. The blooms are all dead and most of the leaves are turning brown and drying up. What can I do to save this rosebush?

Answer 1

It sounds like you may be in a zone similar to mine here in Colorado. It is way too early to plant rosebushes outside just yet and way too soon to leave them out overnight in pots. It sounds like your rosebush has been bitten by the low temps. I would recommend pruning the rosebush down to half its current height. Bring the rosebush inside and let it sit in a sunny loactaion there until the temps are consistent for 50 degree or at least high 40’s night time temps. If the temps outside are going to be in the 60’s or 70’s the bush or bushes may be able to be moved outside during the day only. Once the temps are consistantly in the 50’s or high 40’s over night the bush or bushes can be planted outside. The bush you have may be in a bit of shock too, so I would water it with some water that has a product called Super Thrive mixed into the water, the next 4 to 5 times it needs watering. Once planted outside, I would water it in with water that has both the Super Thrive and a root stimulator mixed into it.