This floribunda rose, called Guy de Maupassant, is prone to balling as the blossoms are packed with petals.
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Healthy buds of the Guy de Maupassant, floribunda rose.
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It’s frustrating to see perfectly formed rose buds become corpses and fail to open. Their outer petals become brown and fuse together so the blossom cannot open. It occurs when the outer petals become rain soaked then dry quickly in the sunshine, which prevents the flower from opening. The inside petals quickly turn to mush and the unopened buds fall to the ground.
Rose blossom balling is a physiological condition caused by the environment as well as the type of rose blossom. Multi-petal roses with fat buds just about to flower and packed with petals are especially prone. Shady conditions, excessive rain and cool temperatures are also to blame.
The solution is prevention. If a plant is receiving less than 6 hours of direct sun per day, then move it to a sunnier location. Improve air circulation by removing or cutting back neighbouring plants. Avoid overhead watering and wetting the rose buds.
Remove affected buds asap. If they aren’t removed and discarded, a fuzzy grey mould (botrytis) often develops. It first appears as grey fuzz on the buds then progresses to the stems, which become a pale green then brown. If that happens, cut off the affected stems to healthy growth and spray with a copper fungicide. Any plant parts affected with the fungus will not become healthy as the tissues are permanently damaged, but new growth will be less prone to infection.
Rose blossom balling is a physiological condition caused by the environment as well as the type of rose blossom. Multi-petal roses with fat buds just about to flower and packed with petals are especially prone. Shady conditions, excessive rain and cool temperatures are also to blame.
The solution is prevention. If a plant is receiving less than 6 hours of direct sun per day, then move it to a sunnier location. Improve air circulation by removing or cutting back neighbouring plants. Avoid overhead watering and wetting the rose buds.
Remove affected buds asap. If they aren’t removed and discarded, a fuzzy grey mould (botrytis) often develops. It first appears as grey fuzz on the buds then progresses to the stems, which become a pale green then brown. If that happens, cut off the affected stems to healthy growth and spray with a copper fungicide. Any plant parts affected with the fungus will not become healthy as the tissues are permanently damaged, but new growth will be less prone to infection.
Fused outer petals make it impossible for affected rose blossoms to flower.