I love roses, and I have several in my garden, and I’ve cared for many more while working as a landscape gardener. But I, too, have encountered my fair share of problems with the leaves turning yellow! Some I am pleased to report are very easy to solve, whereas others require a more nuanced approach.
In this article, I’ll share with you all the secrets and tips to help you diagnose why your rose leaves are turning yellow and how, step by step, you can revive your rose…
Let’s get straight to the point…
In my experience, rose leaves turn yellow as a result of too much fertilizer, nutrient-deficient soil, drought stress, saturated soil, not enough light, or because of fungal disease. Rose leaves turn yellow and drop off in Winter as they enter a state of dormancy.
In most cases, I find roses with yellow leaves indicate environmental stress often because of water or soil nutrients, and I find these problems can be easily resolved.
Keep reading to learn the 9 causes of why your rose leaves are turning yellow and how to solve the problem…
Too Much Fertilizer Turns Your Rose Leaves Yellow
When I was landscape gardening, one of the more common reasons I’d see roses turn yellow was that the homeowner was too generous with the use of rose fertilizer, with the all-too-common idea that “the more fertilizer, the better the roses.”
Whilst this is well-meaning, the truth is that Rose leaves can turn yellow as a reaction to fertilizer applied too frequently or in too high a concentration (we need to remember that moderation is the secret to care for roses).
I’ve learned that what happens is that fertilizer contains salts that build up after repeated use of additional fertilizers when feeding your roses.
From my research I discovered that this salt accumulates in the soil around the roots, draws moisture from the plants, and prevents any uptake of moisture causing a burn and yellow appearance of the leaves.
You should also be aware that excess fertilizer can also cause drooping growth that is more susceptible to disease and prevent the rose from flowering.
(If your roses are not blooming, read my article to learn why and how to promote more flowers).
I think this highlights the importance of moderation when fertilizing your roses!
However, you should also consider whether other sources of fertilizer are perhaps affecting your rose. I was once at a client’s garden who had this exact problem.
After some investigation (and consulting an expert), I discovered that the client had used a heavy dose of lawn fertilizer on their grass.
What had happened is that they applied the fertilizer to the lawn, and then a bout of very heavy rainfall diluted the fertilizer, which then ran off the surface of the lawn and onto the flower borders, causing the roses’ leaves to turn yellow!
How to solve it:
So in my opinion, the best way to avoid this problem is to use a specifically formulated rose fertilizer.
I personally prefer miracle-gro granulated rose feed as it contains the right balance of nutrients at the right level of concentration for roses and the granules release the nutrients over time which prevents the leaves from turning yellow and the other problems associated with too much fertilizer.
However, I’m afraid that when the damage to the rose has been done, there isn’t an easy solution.
The first (and most obvious) step is to Scale back the use of any fertilizer for the time being if you suspect it is the cause of your rose leaves turning yellow.
If your rose is in a pot, I would give the soil a really good soaking to the point where lots of water is tricky from the base. This step helps to dilute the concentration of salts that have accumulated in the soil, which then drains out of the pot. This helps your rose uptake moisture and nutrients properly.
What I then do in this scenario is to cut back any severely affected foliage with a pair of pruners and water the rose well for the next few weeks. To be honest, for me, it usually takes a season before I see the rose fully recover but I can tell you from experience that roses are much hardier then people give them credit for!
(Read my article, why is my rose drooping?)
Nutrient Deficiency in Your Causes Yellow Leaves
Is your rose in a pot? Or perhaps your garden soil is quite sandy or stony? If your rose leaves are turning yellow, these are potential signs of stress due to a lack of nutrients in the soil.
The reason our rose leaves most commonly turn yellow is due to a lack of nitrogen in the soil. Roses are heavy feeders compared to a lot of our garden plants and require nitrogen to form chlorophyll for the leaves to be green and for the plant to photosynthesize.
So, whilst yellow rose leaves are a sign of stress due to a nitrogen deficit in the soil, we need to note that rose leaves can also turn yellow as a reaction to a lack of magnesium and iron in the soil, but in my experience, this is less common, so a lack of nitrogen is the probable culprit.
Rose leaves are more likely to turn yellow if the soil is sandy and nutrient-poor as this is contrary to their preferred soil profile.
I discovered the reason for this is that sandy soils do not retain moisture or water-soluble nutrients (such as nitrogen), so annual applications of fertilizer are important.
However, if your horse has been in the same pot for a long time (without any fertilizer), then it can exhaust the pot of available nutrients, which, of course, results in yellowing leaves.
How to Solve it:
To reverse yellow leaves due to a lack of nutrients, I use a well-balanced fertilizer made specifically for roses (there are many products available but I have had success with miracle-gro) and apply a 1-inch layer of mulch to the surface of the soil around the base of my rose.
Use materials such as compost, leaf mold, or well-rotted manure for mulch. Why is this? These three materials have an excellent capacity for holding moisture and adding nutrients to the soil over time.
I have tested all three of these materials for mulch and whilst I would still recommend all three (or which ever one you have the easiest access to) I found the well-rotted horse manure worker the best as it has a slightly higher concentration oof nitrogen, which for our purposes of tackling a nitrogen deficit, works very well.
Pro Tip: I advise applying the mulch once in the Spring and again before Winter. Why again in Winter? Mulch helps insulate the cold-sensitive roots and continues to improve the soil during Winter. If the soil is insulated in Winter, then the ground stays warmer, and the roots can continue to establish an uptake of nutrients for longer, which gives your rose a head start in Spring.
If you implement these tips (with consistent applications of fertilizer and mulch), the rose should recover over the next few weeks, whether in spring or summer. Keep in mind that I don’t think your rose is going to flower much this year, but it should the following year if you’re consistent.
Please note that fertilizer should only be applied to the soil in Spring after the threat of frost has passed and do not apply any more after the 15th of August as fertilizer stimulates new tender growth which is more vulnerable to frost damage in the upcoming Winter.
If your rose has been in the same pot for a long time, I will repot it in a larger pot. The larger pot has more capacity for soil and, therefore, more nutrients.
In terms of potting soil, I like to use a mix of garden compost (from my compost heap) and well-rotted manure as this creates the optimal well-draining conditions for roses as well as a lot of nitrogen in the soil.
Top tip: The best time to repot your rose is either the Spring or Fall. This is because the ground is warm (which helps roots establish), but the rose doesn’t have to contend with the heat of summer straight after repotting, which can dry out your rose.
Rose leaves can also turn yellow due to an iron deficiency which is caused by alkaline soils…
Soil pH- Iron deficiency Causes Yellow Rose Leaves
If the soil pH is too high, then this can cause an iron deficiency, which causes the veins of the leaf to remain green, yet the rest of the leaf turns yellow (which is something that’s called chlorosis).
Alkaline soils can affect the availability of nutrients in the soil, such as iron and magnesium, which results in yellow leaves on your rose bush as a sign of stress.
From my research, I learned that roses prefer mildly acidic soil and can grow in a pH range of pH 6-7 without problems associated with nutrient availability.
If your garden soil is alkaline (above pH 7) then this is the most likely cause of your rose leaves turning yellow.
How to Solve it:
Determining the soil pH of your soil can be as easy as asking your gardening-savvy neighbors what the soil pH is in the neighborhood, as they are almost certain to know. If you look over the garden fence and spot roses, camellias, azaleas, and rhododendrons growing happily (which are all plants that prefer acidic soil), then you’ll know your soil is at the right pH for roses.
Alternatively, you can use a soil gauge that you can buy at garden centers or on Amazon.
Soil gauges are very easy to use, and accurately tell you the pH of your soil so that you can plant out your garden according to your soil conditions. Best of all they are available for a great price.
How to solve it:
If you test your soil and the pH is higher than 7, then I recommend transplanting your rose, if possible, to a pot or raised bed, as your garden soil is not suitable for growing roses.
It is possible to buy ericaceous compost (which is just a fancy, gardening industry way of saying acidic compost) from a garden center and amend your garden soil with it to create a better soil profile for your roses.
However, I would not recommend this as it is very hard work (I know from experience!), and you have to keep amending the soil as, over time, the pH is likely to rise again to alkaline, so it’s a lot of work.
If you transfer the rose to a pot then you have control over the soil profile and can customize the soil with a rose potting mix so that your roses thrive rather than trying to amend your soil with ericaceous to make it more acidic.
Transferring your rose to a pot or raised bed also means that it is no longer exposed to the alkaline soil and the rose can start to make a recovery, and eventually the yellow leaves should revive to a healthy green color. To be honest, when I have personally had to do this I’d say it may take a year or so to recover fully but you should start to see your roses reviving in the Spring and Summer.
Is Your Soil Too Dry? Drought Stress Can Cause Rose Leaves to Turn Yellow
What we need to know is that roses require consistently moist soil to a depth of 8-12 inches (for the leaves to stay a healthy green). Whilst roses can tolerate some drought, if the soil dries out for too long, the rose’s leaves turn yellow, a sign of drought stress.
However, there are a few reasons why the soil may be too dry (aside from underwatering) that we need to talk about…
- The soil is sandy or low in organic content and, therefore, does not retain enough moisture.
- The sunlight and heat are directly at the base of the rose, increasing evaporation from the soil.
- Heat waves and lack of rainfall due to seasonal variation in weather.
- If roses are planted in pots or containers, the pot has less capacity for soil and, therefore, less capacity for moisture. Pots can heat up quickly in the sun and dry out, causing drought stress and yellow leaves.
For most climates and conditions, watering your roses once a week with a generous soak is enough for your roses to thrive and prevent drought stress.
To be honest, the only time I water some of my more established roses (that are planted in garden borders) is in the Spring before I apply a layer of mulch, as they already have a very well-developed root system and can access water deeper in the soil.
However, the watering frequency should be adjusted to your climate and soil conditions (and, of course, if your rose is in a pot) so that the soil stays consistently moist (but not saturated) to prevent yellow leaves.
How to Solve it:
Once of the best ways to prevent drought stress and to revive your rose with yellow leaves is to use a mulch around the base of the rose.
As we discussed, I apply a 1-inch layer of compost to the surface of the soil around the base of the rose to help conserve moisture and improve the soil’s moisture-retaining capacity. Mulch also helps to shade the soil and keep the roots cool.
If you have a good layer of mulch on the surface of your garden soil, then the rose’s roots are going to be in much cooler and moist soil.
I find a soaker hose can be useful for maintaining soil moisture in hot climates.
With consistent watering and the use of mulch, your rose leaves should recover from the yellow appearance over the next few weeks.
But what about roses planted in pots, I hear you ask?! Transfer your rose to a much larger pot because, as we discussed, larger pots have a greater capacity for soil and, therefore, can hold more moisture.
Important tip: I have had more success growing roses in plastic pots or glazed ceramic/clay pots rather than unglazed clay or terracotta pots. This is because plastic and glaze pots are impermeable and, therefore, hold moisture for longer, whereas clay and terracotta are porous, which means the pots can heat up and dry out much quicker, which results in yellow leaves. So, if you’re in a hot climate, I really recommend plastic or glaze pots to keep the soil moist and your roses healthy.
Is the Soil Too Damp? Overwatering or Saturated Soils
So we’ve talked about what happens to roses when the soil is too dry, but what about when the soil is too damp? Yes that’s right…rose leaves can turn yellow as a result of their roots being deprived of oxygen due to saturated soils…so we need to find the happy medium.
Roses thrive in soil that is consistently moist yet has a light, friable, aerated structure to allow for root respiration.
If the soil is boggy and not well draining then this can prevent oxygen from reaching the roots which causes the leaves to turn yellow.
Three common reasons that I see for the soil being saturated around your roses are:
- Overwatering.
- Roses are planted in slow-draining soil (such as clay) or naturally boggy areas of the garden.
- Roses are planted in pots and containers without drainage in the base.
So for us to avoid overwatering and depriving our rose roots of oxygen it is important to water your roses appropriately for your climate and soil conditions.
The optimal balance of soil moisture for roses is for the soil to be consistently moist (but not damp) to a depth of 8-12 inches.
How do we do this? I achieve this by planting roses in lots of organic matter (compost or leaf mold), applying mulch, and watering with a generous soak around once per week during the Spring and Summer with additional watering during heatwaves.
Don’t make this mistkae! If you are watering your rose every day, this is too frequent and can result in the leaves turning yellow, scale back watering to around once per week and only water during Spring and Summer.
If the soil is boggy and damp all the time because it is low-lying or just drains slowly then it is likely that not only the leaves turn yellow but the rose will develop the disease root rot and die.
In this scenario, I would transplant roses into better-draining soil or perhaps a pot or raised bed. With raised beds, it is far easier to make the soil profile suitable for roses compared with amending your boggy garden soil.
However, from experience it is possible to amend clay soils with lots of organic matter to improve the structure and drainage characteristics so that it is appropriate for growing roses.
A classic mistake I see is when people plant their roses in pots or containers without drainage holes in the base. The pot then just fills with water, and the soil becomes saturated, causing root rot. Potted or container roses should always have drainage holes in the base of the pot to allow excess water to escape so that the soil does not become saturated.
Whether or not your rose survives depends on how quickly you can move it to somewhere with better drainage, but to be honest, I find that roses that suffer due to some form of overwatering often die back.
(Read my article, choosing the best post for roses).
Rose Leaves Can Turn Yellow In Winter
If it is early fall and your rose leaves are yellowing, do not panic! Most roses are deciduous, so drop their leaves and go into a dormant state before Winter. As part of the leaf-shedding process, the leaves may turn yellow prior to dropping off.
So if the cold Winter season is correlated with your rose leaves turning yellow, then be assured the rose is not dying but just preparing for Winter by dropping its leaves before growing again in the Spring.
(Read my article, how to Revive a dying rose bush).
Not Enough Light?
Is your rose in too much shade? Your rose leaves can turn yellow as a consequence of a lack of direct sunlight.
One of the key care requirements that everyone needs to know about roses is that roses require at least 6 hours of sun to grow and flower at their best, so if they are in full shade they do not bloom to the same extent and often, the first sign of stress that I observe is that the leaves turn yellow.
If your rose is in a shaded area, I recommend either transplanting it or cutting back anything that may be casting shade on it, such as a limb of a tree that may have grown significantly and cast shade over a once sunny area of your garden or any surrounding shrubs and vegetation.
Alternatively, of course, you can transplant the rose to a sunnier location in your garden (I recommend doing this in either early spring or fall to minimize stress on your rose).
This should not only resolve the problem of the leaves turning yellow but also promote flowering and improve the overall health of the rose.
Sometimes the leaves lower down of the rose bush are turning yellow whilst the top leaves remain a healthy green colour.
This is because the top leaves are in the sun and have optimal light exposure, whereas the leaves near the bottom or on the shaded side of the plant can turn yellow because of the comparative lack of sun.
Leaves that are in the shade tend to turn yellow and drop off as the rose redirects its resources to the healthy leaves that are in more sun.
Pruning back the foliage that is turning yellow can reduce the stress on the plant so that it flowers in the Summer.
Fungal Disease Causing Roses Leaves to Turn Yellow
Rose leaves can turn yellow as a consequence of fungal disease with black spot being the most common reason why rose leaves turn yellow around areas of black.
The yellow and black leaves eventually drop off, which detrimentally affects the health and flowering of the rose.
Black spot is, unfortunately, a common rose disease (all my roses in my garden have had it), however, it can be treated and the rose can recover.
How to treat black spot, my best tips:
- Cut away any affected leaves with a sterile pair of pruners. Use a cloth soaked in alcohol disinfectant to wipe the blades after every cut to prevent potentially spreading the spores of the fungus to otherwise healthy growth.
- Burn the leaves or discard them rather than put them in the compost, as the fungus can lay dormant in a compost heap and affect other plants.
- Use a specialized rose fungicide spray to spray the leaves of your rose (available from garden centers and Amazon) (I have tested several sprays, and in my opinion, they all work, as they have the same active ingredient, so I’d go with the cheapest one).
Black spot can be prevented with good care practices for roses, such as:
- Water at the base of the rose rather than overhead to decrease humidity.
- Plant roses around 3 feet apart for good airflow.
- Water the rose consistently and apply mulch to maintain soil moisture.
- Use a fertilizer at the start of Spring so that the rose has all the nutrients it requires to stay healthy and disease-resistant.
From experience, I can tell you a healthy rose is far more resistant to the fungal diseases that turn rose leaves yellow, so best practices of care are essential for the health of your roses.
(Read my article, why is my rose wilting?)
Do you have any specific follow-up questions or perhaps insights of your own you’d like to share? If so, please leave a comment, and I’ll reply! I love hearing from you!
Key Takeaways:
- Rose leaves turn yellow due to environmental factors such as nutrient-deficient soil or too much or too little moisture at the roots. Too much shade and fungal disease can also cause leaves to turn yellow and drop off.
- Rose leaves often turn yellow in Winter. As deciduous plants, they naturally turn yellow and drop before a state of Winter dormancy.
- Rose leaves in too much shade can turn yellow and drop off, requiring transplanting to a sunnier area of the garden.
- A high soil pH can cause chlorosis, in which certain nutrients, such as iron and magnesium, are unavailable for uptake at the rose’s roots.
- Applying fertilizer too frequently or in too high a concentration can lead to the build-up of salts, which causes your rose leaves to lack moisture, burn, and turn yellow.