First off I would like to say I am sorry to hear you are not well. As far as your roses, you can re-plant them in the same pots but, first disinfect the pots by using bleach and water in a bucket then soak the pots in the solution (you did not say how large the pots are) if they are to big to put into a bucket then wipe out the pots with the bleach solution then rinse well, let dry. Buy new soil so the fungus does not infect the new plants. I always use bleach and water to clean my pots that I am going to replant in so I do not carry on any disease to the next plants.
Good luck,
Carrie

Thanks so much Carrie!

I was hoping it would be a bit easier than that. Sigh. :)

My pots are very large, so it looks like it will be a lot of work. C'est la vie, I guess.

Do you think I could use the soil from the pots in my garden? Other plants aren't as susceptible to fungus are they? I don't want to throw out all that soil (30 pots!!). Or could it go in my composters?

Thanks,
Carol

Believe me the hard work is worth it, it all pays off in the end.
If you feel you cannot go through all the cleaning process and have no place for all that soil then I would buy some new soil and mix it with what is in the pots. I would take off about 4 inches off the top layer and get rid of it, then mix in the new soil on top. Once the plants are planted use a anti-fungal spray on the roses and spray the dirt and around the rim and edge of the pots maybe that will help keep the fungus down. Do not water at night, water in the morning's and do not over water, also keep the water off of the rose leaves. If you buy new soil have the garden center guy help you take it to your car, then when you get home have someone help you take it out of your car. But I must stress NEVER, NEVER use soil from the ground in your back yard there are soil borne disease's in the soil from the ground.
If you feel you want to go through the process of cleaning the pots then here is an easier way and How I would do it if I had all those pots to clean, since they are so big an easier way would be to: Take out all of the old dirt and dispose of it (since it had fungus in it) and rinse out all the old dirt from the pots with the hose on a high blast.
I purchased a scrub brush on a long handle at Home Depot for $4.89 which helps at scrubbing down into a large pot, if you want to. I think you can get away with out scrubbing.
Fill a large bucket with 9 parts water and 1 part household chlorine bleach, you might need larger parts since your pots are so large.
Pour some of the solution down the inside of the pots make sure all of the inside of the pot is covered with the bleach solution.
Let sit, if your pots are plastic a 1/2 hour is good but, if they are made out of a porous matieral clay,or cement longer would be better.
You can scrub the pots with a long handled scrub brush, if you can't, I am sure the bleach will kill everything in the pot. Rinse the pots with a high blast of clear water.
Let dry.
As far as putting the fungus infected soil into your composter I am not to sure about that, I would think it could contaminate your compost. I don't compost because I have no room to do it so I cannot answer that. I would love to be able to make my own compost. There is a compost message board here you might want to go there and ask them that question, because that is a lot of soil.
As far as using the fungas soil on other plants in the garden I would'nt but, you have alot of soil. What plants did you have in mind to put the soil on. Most plants are susceptible to fungus and/or mildew.
Since you have limitations in your gardening because of your health. I would just mix the soil with half fresh soil and the soil in the pots already. Like I said above take off the top part and mix in some of the new soil and use a anti-fungal spray on the plants and soil. Because moving all that dirt is alot of work for you.
I wish I lived closer so I could come and help you but I live in Arizona and you are in Canada so that is out of the question. If it is too much for you to take all the dirt out and clean the pots, don't do it, you have to do what you have to do. I believe the fungus came about because the rose's are in the garage and they are not getting any sun. I would not do this now, wait until you are ready to put them outside for the spring and summer, because it might come back if they stay in the cold garage with no sun.
Good luck
Carrie

Thanks so much Carrie!! You have been very specific, helpful and kind. :)

My husband will do all the bull work for me. He just might be a bit frustrated over all the work. Although he dug 4 feet into clay for me on the berm at our old house, ammended the soil, built a retaining wall - etc. After that clay (sometimes he used a pick-axe!!!) anything else is easy by comparison.

I think I'll use the soil on the grass. If he spreads it thinly over the front and back that will probably help the grass. Grass doesn't get fungus does it?

Thanks!!
Carol

Carol, when you say that the roses had 'fungus' do you mean that they got 'root rot' and died?

If so, when you pulled the plants out was the soil water logged and smelled terrible?

Canadian_rose that sounds like a good idea to spread the dirt out on the grass. With it spread thin maybe it will dry out and the air will kill any fungus and the grass with benefit from the compost. I would do it when the sun is out ( if the sun comes out in zone 3 LOL LOL). I am lucky here in the desert southwest, we do not get black spot or mildew we might get some powdery mildew in Jan. & Feb., otherwise no mildew at all it just gets to darn hot. In Jul, Aug & Sept we can get up to 125+ the roses do ok but the blooms don't look the best but, we have wonderful winters. I thank the Lord we do not get Jap beetles either.
Do you know what roses you are going to plant in the pots, maybe you can share?? Also would love to see pics when you are done and everything is planted and blooming.
I wish you all the luck, and you are in my preyer's regarding your health.
Carrie

I also am sorry for your health problems.
Have you considered calling your local Master Gardener, and finding out exactly what you are fighting in those pots?
Also if you don't want to clean them, why not use cheap plastic pots inside of them? If they are really large, you could scoop out enough soil to get the cheap pots in, then grow what you want in the cheap ones. For your short growing season it seems to me that you could easily do that.

Good luck, and I wish you the best.

Sammy

Lago - no smell and it wasn't waterlogged. The entire bush is covered in white fuzz. I assume it's fungus. I had put garbage bags over the roses which still had their leaves on. I had also watered really well. Sigh - yeah, I know.

Hey Carrie - LOL - Yes! We get sun!!! Sheesh :) Thanks Carrie for the prayers and thoughts. I'm waiting for my local greenhouse to see how many roses from my list they can get for me. I ordered 31. Hopefully they can get at least half of those. In our area, I'll receive my roses (grade 1) at the beginning of June. We have such a short summer. It just kills me - I think of roses all winter.

Thanks Sammy for your thoughts! :) Hmmmm... no I never thought of getting a master gardener to look at them. I'd actually be embarrassed for him/her to see what a botch job I've done of it. No, I think I'll stick with the pots I have. I'm thinking I'll get my hubbie to fill one of our old fertilizer hose bottles with bleach, then get him to blast away any fungus spores. The soil will go on the grass.

Thanks everyone!

Carol