Hello everyone,

Based on responses from my other comments, I have a lot to learn about rose care haha

I have some general questions about caring for roses that I was hoping I could get some perspective on:

1. When is it appropriate to use fungicide/insecticide? What situations would call for the use of them?

2. What about homemade pesticide/fungicides, when is it appropriate to use them? (apple cider vinegar, baking soda, garlic powder, etc. etc.)

3. What fungus/pests/problems should I look out for in SoCal and/or Central Valley? How should I deal with them if they come up?

4. In regards to root damage, If the roots of roses are damaged in repotting process or stuff like that, what course of action should be taken? (can't find much into on this on the internet)

5. What are general tips you have about potted rose care?
- Should I mulch potted roses? How about Miniature roses?

6. How about tips about general rose care?

7. Should I use a sealing compound when doing any type of cut on roses?

8. What are warning signs in a rose that something's wrong and what are some things that look bad but shouldn't be worried about?

I know these are a load of questions and I probably won't get all of them answered but I'd loved to hear everyone's opinions and ideas (:

Thank you for your time! Have a great day!

My wife thinks I'm a sucker for books about roses. I'm always excited about reading
about situations that I've been in...and screwed up. I'll be interested to read what the
pros here have to say about your list, Daniel.

I'll take a crack at #4. You should try not to damage roots, but you always will. The little hairy roots suffer when you transplant. But, I find that roses are really resilient in good
soil. Watch and water.

Thanks for replying David (:

I appreciate it!

What would you consider good soil for roses?

The reason is ask is because I bought a miniature rose and in 1 pot the store put around 8 roses and they weren't doing well in that condition so I separated them but unfortunately damaged the root in the process
I'm hoping none of them die but if at least one survives i'll be ok with that!

I want to ensure i'm giving them the best chance at survival though (:

I hope this helps!

1. When is it appropriate to use fungicide/insecticide? What situations would call for the use of them?

I have a no spray garden but when I did spray I only used insecticides when I saw bugs and could ID them properly. Fungicide spray programs should be started early, before you even see symptoms, for best results.

2. What about homemade pesticide/fungicides, when is it appropriate to use them? (apple cider vinegar, baking soda, garlic powder, etc. etc.)

It's up to you if you want to try home brews or not instead of store bought chemicals. I've tried many of them and have found they don't work all that well most of the time. I would also caution you against using anything that contains any kind of oils. Often they just burn the leaves, especially if it is hot and sunny.

3. What fungus/pests/problems should I look out for in SoCal and/or Central Valley? How should I deal with them if they come up?

I'm in Michigan so I can't really advise you on this but I do know that black spot is not as prevalent there and rust is more so. In 15 years of rose growing in Michigan I've only seen rust twice but black spot is an everyday battle. I'm pretty sure powdery mildew is something we do share as well. The best defense is to look for roses that are naturally resistant but otherwise you either spray or learn to live with it.

4. In regards to root damage, If the roots of roses are damaged in repotting process or stuff like that, what course of action should be taken? (can't find much into on this on the internet)

Transplanting potted roses is much easier than roses in the ground. As long as you do not disturb the root ball at all they should be fine. In potting up a rose just slip the smaller root ball out and slip into the larger pot or ground hole and back fill. In the ground, no matter how hard you try, you will damage some of the small feeder roots. But just try to take as large a root ball as you can and keep it as intact as possible when you move it from one spot to the other. It may suffer some transplant shock but as long as you keep it well watered it should recover. Do not fertilize it until you start to see new top growth!

5. What are general tips you have about potted rose care?
- Should I mulch potted roses? How about Miniature roses?

Use any good quality POTTING soil. Never use garden or top soil in pots. Make sure the pots have a number of drainage holes. Good drainage is very important in pots. Pots will generally need watering more often than roses in the ground because they dry quicker. Potted roses will also need fertilizer a little more often as well. Every time you water a pot you flush some of the soil and nutrients out. So extra fertilizer is helpful. That does not mean a stronger solution. It means more often. A stronger solution may burn the roots. Miniature roses should be treated just like any rose. They require no special or different handling.

6. How about tips about general rose care?

Roses are perennial shrubs. They require the same things that most perennials do, good soil, adequate sun and water and a good pruning about once a year. Throw in some fertilizer now and then and they should be very happy.

7. Should I use a sealing compound when doing any type of cut on roses?

You only need to seal any cuts to canes that are larger than a pencil. That is to keep out boring insects. Borers can not bore into any canes smaller than that. You can use anything that is water proof. I've used Elmer's Wood Glue, clear nail polish and wax. But truthfully, I'm not very vigilant at it and have never found a borer in my roses. However, that might be location sensitive. I'm sure there are places where borers are a problem.

8. What are warning signs in a rose that something's wrong and what are some things that look bad but shouldn't be worried about?

There are obvious signs of fungal infections and insect damage. Yellowing leaves can be a sign of many issues like both too much and too little water as well as some nutrient deficiencies. But often times yellowing leaves may just be the plant shedding old, tired out and non productive foliage and is not any kind of problem. A yellow jagged or lightening bolt pattern on leaves may be an indication of Rose Mosaic Virus. A lot of roses in the US have this disease. It is NOT fatal and, for the most part, if the rose is well cared for and healthy, you will never see it. I have many roses in my garden that I know have the virus and some of them have been here as long as 50 or 60 years. And I'm in a cold climate with harsh winters.

If you have more questions please ask.

Seil to the rescue again - well said!

There are so many things you want to learn about, I would recommend that you look for a local chapter of The American Rose Society -- There are many of them, but you might start with The Los Angeles Rose Society:
https://larosesociety.com/

The entire list of Local societies is to be found at:
https://www.rose.org/local-ros... and you should look there for what's closest to Merced.

Thank you @seilMI!
That was really informative and i'm definitely saving the information you gave me

Ahh ok! I would normally use fungicide (usually homemade since I'm very broke haha) whenever the roses were already showing signs of fungus

Powdery mildew is definitely really common here
Blight is definitely another that i've seen around

I learned about oil the hard way after burning some leaves in LA because I decided to spray the middle of the day

I have 2 follow up questions :

What potting soil would you (or others) recommend?
What are the risks of using garden soil instead of potting soil?

Once again, thanks so much for your help! I greatly appreciate it!


@jerijen

Thank you for the information
I appreciate it!
I'll check it out!

Any good quality potting soil will work fine. It just needs to be light weight and drain well. I've used all the big box stores and major brands and they are all fine. I usually use which ever one is on sale at the time I need more. I did buy some real cheapy stuff from Big Lots once and it was terrible. I ended up dumping it on my flower beds. It was fine for that.

Top soil or Garden soil is to heavy weight. It does not drain well and holds to much water at the root ball. That can cause root rot. Roses like a lot of water but hate to have their roots sitting in it long term.

Hi Seil!

Ahh ok that makes sense!
Thankfully I used some decent quality potting soil for the rose that I have now but I did repot some of my miniatures because I had used garden soil

Thank you for the help (:
I appreciate it!

@seilMI

I have some other questions if you don't mind answering (:
They're more specific to my current situation.
Thank you for all the help!

How much water do roses need during winter/how often should I water?

Do potted roses need to be mulched?

How do I ensure my miniature roses have enough room to grow if I decide not to separate them and they're going to be potted?
As of now, I have 2 minis in about a 5 inch pot however, I definitely need to repotted because they need more room to grow however, i'll probably do that after winter.


Last question, (it's very specific)
I have a rose that was a "rescued" rose from my parents house, they didn't really want it and cut the rose to it's base around September. So I moved it to a pot and took it to my college apartment and it's grown well however, hasn't bloomed since then and remains having new growth.
It's time to force the roses to dormancy in Cali (i've read roses don't necessarily go dormant on their own here because of the temp.) and i'm unsure how to proceed with this rose.

Is there anything special I should do for it or should I just let it be?

How much water do roses need during winter/how often should I water?

They don't need a ton. They are dormant so they don't need it for active growth. However, they need to stay hydrated. When I had mine in the shed I would always put at least a shovel full of snow on the top of the soil every time we had to shovel. If it didn't snow I would put a gallon of water in each pot once a month. The rest of the potted roses that were stored outside just got whatever rain and snow there was.

Do potted roses need to be mulched?

I did not mulch the ross in the shed but I did wrap them in burlap. Most of them were tree roses and I felt that upper graft needed extra protection.

How do I ensure my miniature roses have enough room to grow if I decide not to separate them and they're going to be potted?
As of now, I have 2 minis in about a 5 inch pot however, I definitely need to repotted because they need more room to grow however, i'll probably do that after winter.

Well, since mine were planted in the ground I didn't really worry about them having enough space. I will tell you that the potted minis that I ordered from nurseries were not like the store ones and were single plants. Those were potted in at least 15 gallon pots. Those 5 inch pots are not going to be nearly big enough! Minis are only miniature in the size of the bloom and leaves. The plant itself can get as large as any full size rose! And there are mini climbers that will get 12 feet tall or more! If you want them to flourish, next spring, get them much larger pots.

Last question, (it's very specific)
I have a rose that was a "rescued" rose from my parents house, they didn't really want it and cut the rose to it's base around September. So I moved it to a pot and took it to my college apartment and it's grown well however, hasn't bloomed since then and remains having new growth.
It's time to force the roses to dormancy in Cali (i've read roses don't necessarily go dormant on their own here because of the temp.) and i'm unsure how to proceed with this rose.

Is there anything special I should do for it or should I just let it be?

Because of the shorter daylight and cooler temps I'm not surprised it hasn't bloomed. I would just let it go dormant with the others and wait to see what it does in the spring. At this point, having been cut to the ground, it may not be your parents rose that is growing and may only be the root stock coming back.

If you damage rose roots by tearing or breaking, you really should use a sharp clippers and cut the root just above the tear or breakage. This is especially true of the larger roots and will prevent possible disease or underground pests from injuring them more. It's a safety measure.

@seilMI

Thank you for the help once again! (:

About the miniatures,

Woah a 15 gallon pot?!
Alright I seriously need to get bigger pots then!
Would you recommend separating then? and if so, what's the best approach I could take?
Should I wait until spring/pruning season to separate and repot?

(Sorry for all the questions!)

About the other potted rose,
Thank you! Yeah i'll probably just have to wait until spring..
I would not be surprised if it was just a root stock but we'll see (: hopefully it'll bloom this spring!

@schrammd
Thanks for the tip (:
I'll definitely keep that in mind next time!!

Daniel, with your mild winter temperatures I doubt that your roses will ever go dormant , thus stop growing. Actually, its the best time to separate your mini roses into much larger pots. This should be done carefully trying to maintan the roots as closely intact as possible. However you need not to fret if some are broken in the way. Follow schramd's advice and cut above the bruised part. The root system will quickly replace with new roots.
Arturo

@hampartsum

Thank you for your response! It's helpful (:

Alright! I think I need to separate them but i'm super scared because of my first experience haha

Should I keep anything else in mind?
Should I cut the roses?
I shouldn't water it much right?

I think I might make a new topic just to get the most advice (:

Here are pictures of the rose I got from my parents (:

It looks very healthy and well armed!

@porkpal
Thank you!! (:
I appreciate it!!

They look very healthy. Just watch the water, not too much, not too little. Water thuroughly but then let them dry out a bit before you water again. I think I answered your other question on the other post.

Thank you (:

I'll probably have to be touching the soil a lot haha



Big thanks to everyone who contributed!!