Help! Something is killing my Rose of Sharon!?

I have several rose of Sharon plants that I absolutely love. They are all between 2 and 3 years old. Last year, they all bloomed beautifully. A few months ago, they started sprouting their leaves and they were coming in green, thick and healthy. Then, one at a time, each plant's leaves got wilted and fell off. One plant died and when I dug up the dead trunk, there was a long main root, but nothing else. Does anyone know what is causing this? I want to try and save the others but I'm clueless about what is causing the problem. These are potted, so some type of rodent eating the roots seems unlikely, and I haven't used any chemicals or weed killers.

Help! Something is killing my Rose of Sharon!?
At that age, a Rose of Sharon should be in the ground - they probably grew on the top and could not produce adequate roots for to keep a proper balance and prevent dessication (drying out). Rose of Sharon are super hardy but they do have long tap-roots. Also the tap root tends to escape, and they could have soaked up any chemical used to wash or paint the house or the patio they sit on. I think they became desiccated due to lack of root room (for their tap root) or they were poisoned by some chemical that became available on the surface below the pot - I used to clean lots of things on my patio, but when things nearby will absorb the run-off, you need to move to less -sensitive quarters for that. I have a Bozai Rose of Sharon and the tap escapes each year while it sits in the beds outside in it's pot - but I cut the top back severly each time I take it up and have to cut that tap root back, so it has a chance to work. They are also REALLY hardy - treat them like figs and let they have a chance to revive before writing them off - put them all in the ground and let them think about it for a while with a little mild fertilzer - I bet they recover in a few months.
Reply:I would take the dead one to a local nursery. I did that with some leaves from my butterfly bush, and the people there were able to look at it and tell me what the problem was. They also gave me a solution.





Hope that helps...





Sorry about your roses...
Reply:I am in agreement with a-mac. Be sure to put it in an enclosed bag so as not to infect the nursery's plants.
Reply:What did the soil look like in the pot you dug up?





Bone dry? no water





Squishy rotten smelling? too much water, root rot.





Rose of Sharon prefer being planted in the ground, full sun, cuttings root in water, and thrive on neglect.

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