Don't worry about it not sitting straight in the pot, Andrea. That's something you can easily adjust when you put it in the ground. If it's dry, windy and warmish where you are, you can take cardboard or many sheets of newspaper, fold the paper in half then staple the ends together to create a cylinder sized to fit inside the rim of the pot. Remove some of the soil so you can slip it well enough inside so it will hold wet soil in the pot, then fill it so the bud union and as much of the top growth as the depth of the cylinder permits are covered. Keep that watered as you normally would for the conditions you're experiencing now. Once new growth begins sprouting, you can gradually remove the soil in the cylinder until the plant is uncovered as much as you would normally have it.

If you enter a period of rain (please!), you can uncover it fully, or leave it alone. The whole concept of the cylinder and added soil is to keep the plant dark, cool and damp while it develops new feeder roots. If it's sunny and warm enough, it will attempt to grow leaves and canes at the expense of roots. If your weather conditions aren't extreme enough and the plant is sufficiently hydrated, it can do what it needs to do without the extra protection. If it's sunny, windy, dry and warm enough, and/or the plant is not sufficiently hydrated as received, it can struggle. Drying out or being stimulated into growth before the roots can support the top growth are the two major reasons people in my neck of the woods lose bare roots. You may not need to mound it in a cylinder to succeed, but it can't hurt your chances. Good luck! I think you'll enjoy expanding your experience with it. Kim

Thanks Kim.

Will do immediately! It has been (with a few rain showers) fairly sunny. Should I, after creating a cylinder, put it into the garage to keep it dark?

andrea

You're welcome Andrea! You don't have to put it anywhere dark. The soil accomplishes that for you. People have long used root cellars because they remain cool (often in the fifties F), dark and damp so root crops store a long time. I've done pretty much the same thing for some of my longer cuttings which have recently come out of the wraps. Being out in the sun will warm the soil in the pot to help stimulate activity, but the damp soil will shade much of the plant (including the bud union) from too much light and keep it cooler and damper so it can start growing roots while still being able to begin feeding itself via photosynthesis in any green parts. If you put it in the garage, it may remain too dark and damp too long which could cause rot. Outside in the sun with the plant covered, leaving the top few inches of the canes exposed, should work perfectly. It always has here for both bare roots and cuttings. Kim

How is this Kim?

I didn't have any paper stiff enough to make a cylinder, so I cut both ends from an old container and used that.

Thanks again, andrea

Looks great to me! I did similarly with the smaller size bands I felt too small to start callused cuttings in. I've also cut up various sized nursery cans for this purpose and they work! The nice thing about the one you created is it will last for years, so it can be reused year after year. You just have to store it from one year to the next. The paper or cardboard ones don't require cutting anything up and can be added to your compost or recycling (even trash) once they've served their purpose. All are good and represent recycling of "trash" so they're all fine.

Now, just keep that plant watered when it needs it. Once you see new foliage emerging from the cane ends, you can begin removing the soil from the cylinder a couple of inches at a time, then a week or so later, a few more, until you can remove the upper can and let the plant continue growing. This will prevent the bud union and upper growth from drying out until it's sufficiently rooted and can sustain itself, Easy, isn't it? Have fun! Kim

Makes good sense to me !!!!

Many thanks and hugs,

andrea

You're welcome! Thanks! Kim

Hey Andrea- I'm here in a 9b spot with you and I just wanted to say that this is leaf-out weather right now. According to sactorose.org now is the time to plant bare-root roses in the Sacramento valley. You might want to check out the "Antique Roses" forum for advice on siting a DA rose in a hot-summer place.

I too have been experiencing bare roots (and bands) for the first time lately and it's actually quite fun I think! I know instant gratification is great, but watching the little or cut back plants add on beautiful new growth and inch their way up is a wonderful exercise in patience and learning.

It always feels like more of an accomplishment if I start from seed or a very small perennial than six-packs or a large, established, several gallon container plant. Watching the garden slowly fill in is a bit of a drag at times I do concede. But for slow growing roses, you have some space to experiment with annuals or bulbs. At least that's the positive spin I place on it. The potted up band of Boule de Neige at my mom's house has plenty of space around it, and will for at least a few years, but it meant there was a nice place to try forced Tulips, Hyacinth, and Dutch Iris.

Jay

Watching and waiting for bare roots and immature own roots does take more time, but it teaches patience. It builds hope. The new jewel-tone foliage colors, watching the plants develop and mature right before your eyes. It's a learning lesson, teaching you about life and what to expect from it each year. I dread winter but look forward to spring and the explosion of new growth with the greatest anticipation. You don't know about that if all you've ever observed has been the instant gratification of someone else's having raised your "babies". Kim

Andrea,I think this could wind up being a revelation/revolution for you! Bare-root roses are really not all that slow to grow, I think you'll find,and they cost less than potted ones and there is often a much wider selection.Won't be surprised if ,after this experience,you find yourself actually preferring bare-rooted roses to potted! Best wishes,bart

Andrea,I think this could wind up being a revelation/revolution for you! Bare-root roses are really not all that slow to grow, I think you'll find,and they cost less than potted ones and there is often a much wider selection.Won't be surprised if ,after this experience,you find yourself actually preferring bare-rooted roses to potted! Best wishes,bart

Thank you all for your rah, rah, rahs. I hope this will be fun !

And Kim, as I've said before, your advice (and minor chastisements about being impatient) have been warmly received. My mother said that I came 'out of the shoot' running and never stopped. Guess it's time I slowed down and smelled the roses, , , quite literally.

I have slowed down. I spend a great deal of time loving and talking to my roses. I will be putting the last 9 in a new bed soon and I can't wait ! Oops, there I go again being in a hurry.

Looks like we'll get our third day of rain today. That's the third day of rain in over a year. What a gorgeous overcast and cloudy day.

Love and thanks to all,

andrea

Andrea, I'm curious. Why aren't you planting the bare-root in the garden? That is what I do. I have never grown a bare-root first in a container and then later put it in the garden. It's very easy--dig a big enough hole to get that plant down as deep as you want it (in my zone, I would bury the graft 1-2 inches), fill the hole with dirt, water in well, and mound up dirt nearly to the tips of the plant. Then let nature slowly sift that mound back.

That way, you only have to plant it once. If you put it in a container to grow, you will have to plant it twice.

Do keep in mind that a bare-root is not a teeny little band. As you noted, the bare-root has strong and sturdy roots and growth on it.

Just wondering.

Kate

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This post was edited by dublinbay on Sun, Feb 2, 14 at 16:49

I concur about planting in the ground. Believe me, I know the disappointing feeling. Last year (after months of waiting for delivery), I received a barefoot 'Young Lycidas'. It leafed out quickly, buds & bountiful blooms soon followed!

Keep us posted.

I've only ever bought bare roots. I have bought about 150 of them, I have planted them directly in the ground, I have planted them in containers and re-planted them in spring, I have kept them in pots for a season or two but I have never lost one if the plant was healthy when it arrived. As long as it is shipped during the cooler season, is planted promptly and is kept well watered it is very difficult to kill a bareroot rose. Having it really soaked (but well draining) for the first week or two is very important IMO. If the weather is a bit warm, keeping it in the shade for a short period helps.
Nik

Andrea, I love your enthusiasm. A band is a tiny baby that needs TLC. A bare root is a mature rose, same as the potted nursery rose we buy. The soil is removed for shipping economy. They are two years old. Ready to hit the ground running. Go for it!
I have MW on order for spring. Can't wait!

Kate, I don't have a bed for the newer ones yet. I will need another raised bed built. Can't do that myself. My handyman and gardener will do that next month.

Thanks all for your good info. I DID notice that the cane and roots looked very large. Guess I should have figured out that it wasn't a 'baby'.

Well, I put it in a pot (and did as Kim suggested). And I am sure that it will be great.

Haven't looked at it since the first, my boy pup cut his rear leg and thigh yesterday and had to be operated on for 2 hours. He is at home, whimpering and being fed home made chicken soup. God I hate it when my pups get sick or hurt. Well, I better stop and try to take him outside for a potty break. He's only 35 pounds, but for an 'older lady', that's a lot to carry up and down steps.

Thanks again all,

andrea

Wish I could have as many dogs as I do roses! Wishing u puppy kisses.