Well we all have different tolerance levels of aphids, no they don’t do any major harm but I hate the look of them and I am an inveterate squisher!
Absolutely, snip off all those horrid old leaves plus clear up any fallen leaves in the pot below and dispose of them. They are just harbouring fungal diseases and that will spread to the new growth in time. Watering or feeding will not ‘get rid’ of black spot or any other of the fungal diseases roses are susceptible to, but it’s true that a rose in a good potting mix, fed and watered correctly, will be healthier and better able to shrug infections off.
A climbing rose in a pot requires extra TLC as they are hungry plants. As others have said on your other thread, the right potting mix is important as just compost is not sufficient to sustain it, so what did you use? Depending on the particular climbing rose you have (?) and how tall and vigorous it wants to be, it’s possible it will not be happy in a pot long-term. Looks a decent-sized pot though. I have copied the photo from your other thread here for reference, really doesn’t look too bad overall, I have seen far worse!
Thank you for this. The rose will grow to 10 ft in the pot by all accounts but yes, I didn't take care of it over the winter. It's now fed, and will be regularly watered and hopefully it will get healthy again. Better late than never and I am finding this site and contributions like yours most useful for a complete novice like myself.
Re your watering @bapw163 - that's virtually impossible to gauge. It depends on your soil, your climate, what else is around that could be competition, where you're growing it - ie, in a pot or the ground, or near a wall/fence where it can be drier, and so on. When plants are in growth, that growth can prevent rain getting in at the base of plants properly too, so if you're not in a wetter part of the country, you have to be more vigilant. In long dry spells, the top layer of soil can look very dry, but it might not be like that lower down. A properly established plant that's been well watered initially, will have it's roots down well enough to access moisture, but again - it will depend on your soil and how well it drains, and how well that early establishment has been. That's why adding organic material regularly is beneficial because it just improves the soil structure, and helps it retain moisture better in dry periods, but it also helps drainage if the soil's heavy. A plant of any kind that's really needing watered will tend to droop, so unless there's another reason for that, that's when you might need to water more. Don't worry too much about the aphids. It's something that happens most years, to most gardeners. Warmer weather and a bit of rain and plants suddenly grow, which is perfect for them. In most cases, the plants cope. I rarely have them at this time of year because I don't have many plants that are susceptible, and when I have a few, the blue tits hoover them up quickly anyway. I noticed some on a euphorbia the other day. The birds have already had them
Thank you for this. What 'organic matter would you recommend putting on the surface, and is this a practice I should follow with all my pots?
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