overwintered pot-grown rose putting out shoots now--a problem?

18 years ago

(crossposted to the roses forum)

I potted up a small polyantha rose in Tapla's wonderful soil mix last summer, because my ground is way too maple-rooty for it. It was very happy all summer, and in late fall I put it in my unheated garage. It never gets below freezing there.

The garage has a tiny northfacing window, so the rose can tell that the days are lengthening now, and it's put out a small green shoot at the tip of a cane.

Is this a bad thing? Do I need to water more, or feed it? Should I cover up the window?

I am assuming that daylength is determining the rose's growth,but maybe I'm wrong, and it just knows what time of year it is. But my rose growing in the ground outside is totally dormant.

Maybe another factor is the unusually sunny winter we've had this year in Massachetts?

I hope folks on this forum can chime in on the care and physiology of garage-overwintered plants in general. I am hoping the rose folks can give specific info as to whether this will weaken the rose's roots.

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Comments (3)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
18 years ago
Hi, Becky. You're very kind. ;o)

I left this on the tree forum when the subject of early onset of growth due to warm temperatures was posed. It also would apply to roses.

"The primary stimulus for the emergence of deciduous woody plants from quiescence (a post dormant state where plants are capable of growing, but are prevented from doing so by low soil temperatures) is rising soil temperatures. Usually, even prolonged periods of warmth in mid-winter are insufficient to induce post-dormant plants to move; however, sustained soil temps above 45* F. can/will induce onset of growth & accompanying substantial loss of cold-hardiness in many plants."

The preceding was written about in-ground plants. Early onset of growth is the norm in containerized plants over-wintered in a building like a garage or shed, but not usually THIS early. Resist the urge to bring the plant indoors. Give it light, but keep it as cold as you can w/o allowing temperatures to drop below freezing.

There is more good info in the post I took this from that will likely answer your questions. If not, pose them here & I will try to fill in the blanks. ;o)

PS I overwinter about 50-60 woody deciduous plants in my garage & this is a problem every year. When it occurs later in the year, I simply put them on a large wagon I can roll outdoors when it's warm enough and back indoors when frost threatens. Of course, it's probably impractical for you to consider that strategy now.

Al

Here is a link that might be useful: Click me and I'll take you to the exact post Al was talking about. ;o)
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karen64
18 years ago
I bring several roses into my garage every winter. I also experienced early growth this year. With my roses, it seems to come down to the rose. Some are drama queens and some are not. Some will be fine with the early growth, others will have partial damage and I prune this damage in the spring. My LaMarne stayed green all winter in the garage last year and was planted in the garden the past spring and grew very large and was healthy. A couple of my fussier roses had some trouble recouping after partial death and needed much pampering. However, I have also tried keeping potted roses outdoors for the winter, mulching, covering, against house, you name it. I have a much higher success rate bringing the potted roses into the garage for winter. Some of the roses I bring in are newly propogated and too young to make it a new winter in the ground. Other roses are not hardy for my winters and they come in every year. karen
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Lou, I have often seen it suggested that the watering of the soil needs to be done a day or two prior to the freeze; that way the soil has a chance to absorb moisture but drain off enough to prevent a soggy condition that will create ice forming in the soil or in contact with the roots. Yes dry conditions are hard on plants and trees when they are encountering freezing temps, but the freezing time is not the best time to water: that is unless your soil temps are remaining well above freezing and if the soil also drains so well that there is not a risk of the water to freeze within the soil around the roots. Are you able to cover your containers and protect them from the coldest overnight temps; or even move them into the garage or other protected area where you could water them without the threat of the water freezing before the soil could become moistened from absorbing well the water. One other thing to consider is, are the items in your pots dormant already before the freeze hit, if not, do not water them, because the water your items take up; especially if the sap is still abundant in the trunks. These will generally experience the same conseqences of pipes which are frozen in a home. Once those frozen pipes are thawed too quickly they burst. Same thing happens to the trunks of young non-dormant trees and shrubs which freeze; sap expands quickly and breaks through the cell walls in the young trunks or stems. The plant taking up water just prior to freezing worsens this affect. Our local nurseries often encounter this problem in the early spring if temps have risen enough to encourage breaking of dormancy, and then often a sudden late freeze follows so quickly that the tree or shrub does not get the right amount of time and environment to once again drop it's sap's upward flow. Some local nurseries in my area have often lost many potted plant, trees and shrubs at such times.
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aktnyc
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I don't have a garage to put pots in, so I leave my roses out on the patio. I'm getting leaves too, and the next few days will be cold. I think they're going to be okay though. Unless we get an April freeze, which can be a disaster.
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overwintered pot-grown rose putting out shoots now--a problem?

Comments (3)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

karen64

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