Why are the ends of my canes turning black/brown?Updated 4 months ago
Blackening or browning canes is a sign of dieback, and will continue to travel down the cane if not trimmed. Roses use their energy to continuously produce new stems and blooms, and may kill off a portion of the plant that isn’t benefitting the entire plant. Think of it as selective amputation so the rest of the plant can thrive. While minor dieback is a normal occurrence as your bare root gets established, it can also be a sign of stress. Common causes of dieback include lack of water, frost damage, soil quality or poor planting techniques.
We recommend trimming black ends down to healthy green canes immediately. This will prevent the dieback from spreading. As always, we recommend testing your soil (find our favorite soil test kit here!), planting at the appropriate time for your growing zone, and carefully following our instructions included with each order and detailed in this blog post.