Hi Kaylah - are these indoors under lights or in cold storage like a root cellar or unheated garage? I've never had luck wintering over rooted cuttings or little band size roses received in fall either way and I've tried. I've seen them push out new top growth as well, making me think that this time they're going to make it. But no, they always start to die back and yellow, drop leaves and then *fuff* they're dead. (Not very encouraging, am I?)
Anyway, if I were to try again I'd keep them in as small a pot as possible. Perhaps outside of a greenhouse we just can't give them the conditions they need to grow much root during winter, and so the extra wet soil around the little root ball keeps the outer roots constantly wet inviting root rot. I mean even a 1 gallon pot may be too big (which is what I've potted them into when I get them.) Keeping them in the tall band pots may be more work to keep them watered properly, but in the end might keep them alive until spring gives them the nudge - or if by some miracle they do grow during the long dark months, not re-pot them until roots are growing out the bottom of the band pot? I'm just speculating here. There has to be something special to the needs of these little roses because I can successfully winter over large potted roses inside under lights or in my just above freezing root cellar - but the baby roses going into winter make me cringe.
You were brave to take on so many!

I overwinter many bands in my unheated insulated barn each winter with few causualities. Absolutely keep them in the smallest pot possible. Root rot is the worst enemy of overwintering. I take mine outside when temps are above freezing to give them air and sun, wash them down with a firm spray or water at least once a week to knock off the aphids. I don't water the pots directly, the spraying down keeps them moist without getting soggy.

In January, we had temps that did not get out of the twenties for a couple of weeks and my bands turned into "dirt-cicles", frozen like ice cubes. I figured I would have lost many, but just a couple look like they aren't going to make it.

Dealing with z3 conditions might make things a little trickier. How the heck did you end up with 50, must have been a good sale or something...

When I root roses, they start life in the basement under lights, go out for a month or so, then come back in for the winter. I never had trouble doing this, and a lot of roses got their start this way.

First, almost all the commercial places put plants in sterile, soilless mixes. So any nutrients the plants need has to be supplied by fertilizer applications. I always used potting soil so there were cutting appropriate nutrients in the soil. That way I didn't have to worry about remembering the fertilizer, or figuring out what strength to use.

Secondly, it really helps to keep them in a cool place, even with the lights. When I was doing this, the basement was too cold to stay down there for a while without a light coat. Since then, we've replaced the boiler and it is noticably warmer down there. Someday I'll be overwintering roses down there again and we'll see how it works.

Thirdly, once-bloomers, particularly gallicas, really do want a dormant period, and turn very peculiar foliage colors if they don't get it. Those I took to putting in the garage because they just seem happier that way. Planted in the ground in the spring, they eventually sorted themselves out, but it took most of the summer.

I always as a matter of policy kept them in the smallest pot possible. Just too many plants and not enough space under the lights. When using lights, everything has to be right under the reflectors, and there isn't all that much room there.

That's a very interesting point about the once bloomers, MG - not something I thought about but very worthwhile to remember - not all roses are quite happy with the same conditions. Thank you.

That's interesting how all of you said to keep them in as small a pot as possible. Some of those I repotted are happy campers. Some are miserable. And it seems to have something to do with the size of the root system. I've got the little ones under grow lights and the big ones in front of my glass door. They are mostly happy. I've found they seem to be happier getting the draft from the door.
Abraham Darby kicked the bucket and Blush Damask is on the way. Right after repotting.
About a third of my cuttings I rooted myself have dropped dead suddenly, mostly after watering. None of them were repotted. I water them every Sunday, only. What seems to be occurring is they actually aren't getting enough water and at the same time the pots never dry out.
That's a good idea, Greybird, about just spraying the tops.
The big setigeras, Captain Kidd and Doubloons, are happy campers by the back door. They are four feet tall.
As for fifty roses in the fall-I must have been mad. They had all these great sales last year.
The biggest problem is the spider mites or aphids, whatever they are. NOTHING gets rid of them.
I thought about the dormant period, too, and plan to give them winter outside from the middle of March to May first. If they make it.
So is there anything you can feed the roots-epsom salts, fish bones?
And what do you use for fertilizer and planting medium?

Things don't get watered according to a schedule. They get watered when they need it.

"What seems to be occurring is they actually aren't getting enough water and at the same time the pots never dry out."

Sounds like root loss from rot, top growth wilts in response. Young rooted cuttings are tricky to overwinter.

Bone meal promotes root growth. Though not much will metabolize in very cool temps.

For my rooted cuttings, I tried Miracle Grow for Roses in the time release pellets this past season with very good results. I find it difficult to keep up with the nutritional needs of young roses, fish emulsion, liquid kelp and various organic ferts just wasn't cutting it.

Once in the ground, they grow quite well with organic amendments.

There's some good ideas here. I think I'm going to try giving them a small drink twice a week. If I repot, I think I'll try adding some sand.
Two more weeks and we ought to start getting a break, maybe. It's that time of year, when if you saw a snowman, you'd bust its head in.

"It's that time of year, when if you saw a snowman, you'd bust it's head in"

HaHa, that comment made me laugh Kaylah. But it's kinda mean too. I love seeing a snowman, but where I live you only see them on TV. My current tea mug has a snowman face on it and it is soooo cute. I understand your frustration though and wish you all the best with your roses. :)

Juliet

Children here are mean and vicious. They gather around the snowman and kick him with their Hannah Montana snowboots. Of course, Hannah Montana is 'out now" in Montana. I forget why, but all the little girls have sworn her off.
Sometimes they get a stick and blast off the head. Water balloons, snowballs, etc, also come into play.
Sometimes red dye no. 3 can be employed. That can be especially ghastly. Older children 19-22 make obscene ones and drive them around town in the back of their pickup trucks.

if the pots are never drying out, the roots will be waterlogged and the lack of oxygen will lead to death.Weirdly, the top growth wilts and looks exactly like it is suffering from drought. Don't water at all until the soil mix is really dry. You could try misting the top growth and a REALLY weak nutrient solution (dunno if you have Maxicrop there but it is a seaweed based organic liquid feed, balanced NPK) Can you get a fan in there as ventilation and air circulation is also really important.

I've had some strange things happen with pots.
A mini grew better in a pot than any other of my potted minis. It had put its main root through the main hole in the bottom of the pot, that root had found a crack in the patio stones and it had rooted firmly in the soil almost two feet down from the real soil top in its pot.
Aphids and spider mites happen, but I've every year but this one had them under control by letting a wasp live in my kitchen. One wasp can effectively control insects on at least twenty potted plants (roses and others). This year, just as the wasp was getting comfortable, Larry stepped on it as it was having its morning stretch in the sun on a floor tile. I've lost new wasps to drowning in pre dish washing soaks, and I've even rescued a couple of wasps and used a paper towel to remove water from them. They haven't been agressive to me, but we've lived fairly successfully with our spider mite control agents.

The real problem, I agree, is with soil moisture. It's so darned variable. The right amount one week may leave the plant dehydrated the next if sunlight comes out and overheats the room without your noticing the change. Likewise a spell of heavy clouds and high humidity may lead to boggy soils and root rot.

OMG kaylah I just busted a gut laughing at the image of 10 year old girls whacking off the snowman heads. And the teens driving around town with obscene snowmen in their pickups. I guess even kids get cabin fever!!! Ya gotta get pctures, or better yet, video! YouTube would eat it up!

Kaylah, thanks for sharing "Cabin fever at it's finest". One day last week I inadvertently brought in a Wooley Bear caterpillar on my barn coat after feeding the horses. It must have been nesting in the hay. My daughter snatched it away from the cat and has made a home for it in one of the house plants. You know it's getting bad when you start making pets out of caterpillars!
I would really stop the schedule watering and do the finger test on the roses. If you sink your finger into the potting mix up to the second knuckle and it's moist or wet, don't water. Check again a few days later. If it's dry, then water. I used to water everything every Saturday whether it needed it or not, but have learned from my mistakes. I know that's tough to do with 50 plants. I don't know what to recommend for spider mites or aphids until you know which you're dealing with. They aren't gnats, are they? I can't imagine aphids surviving. When did you move the roses inside? Was it before or after frost?

So, Ann-I was wondering if you were the only American keeping a pet wasp in the house to eat the spider mites but there must be more. And drying their little wings? Just goes to show you nothing keeps a good rosarian down, except when you're pruning.
These are the times that try men's souls. February, oh, February. Snowed hard all morning but the sun came out this afternoon and it rose to forty.
One trudges through the dog slopping days like a bear disturbed during hybernation.
I think the ancestors had it right. Chop the wood, kill a beef, hens in the freezer. Then go to bed for the winter.
Out at the ranch, the wood pile was as high as the house. The house smelled like chicken feathers all fall. It was awful. Everything canned, killed, frozen, chopped, stuff done, a three hour work day ensued. Uncles, grammaws, grandpas snoozed all afternoon by the woodstove.
We had one rule: "Stay away from the creek!"
Off I'd go, down the creek, listening to the ice crunch beneath my feet, choosing the thick parts and looking at the beautiful animal tracks.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Campanula, that's a good idea about the fan. Everything is on a water fast, now.
Treebarb, they came in the mail, I don't remember when. I haven't been checking the dirt that deep but now I will. I'm pretty sure they're spider mites. They make webs and drive around like a speedway. I tried every insecticide, fly spray, soapy water, now I'm using horticultural oil.
Blush Damask and Abe Darby are history now but the rest are bumbling through.

spider mite is horrible. The only insecticide which works contains imidacloprid (Provado?) but this will also kill everything else (and has been implicated in bee deaths). However, they hate water - if your foliage is robust, blast the leaves with a fierce water spray. Also, the mites are soft-bodied and can be squashed by hand without damaging the leaves - they will be lurking underneath the leaves next to the veins and they can move fast. Use a hand lens - they are horrifying. Finally, if the infestation is not too severe, soft soap (horticultural Savona) at a ratio of 50:1 with water, every three days, is effective.Spray until plants are dripping. Mites only look red in Autumn.
Also, hope the roses are getting better, Kaylah. I think the leaf yellowing is further evidence that waterlogging is the problem. Good Luck. 50!!

Kayla, I should have added an Atta Girl for keeping that many bands going all winter. That's quite a feat! It sounds like you've identified spider mites. I have this vision of you at the kitchen sink with a rose in one hand and the sprayer attachment in the other, doing battle! I wonder if the shower head in the bath would have enough pressure to knock the mites off? You could do them in batches. What a mess your tub will be, though. On checking the pot moisture, I should have added to sink your finger near the edge of the pot. You don't want to damage those roots you've worked so hard for. Winter will end, keep the faith!

I did do them in the tub once. That was a mistake. Thought about buying a new bathtub, really.

I am by no means an expert-but I've had some luck. I overwintered cuttings last year for the first time and am over wintering 1 this year (Thor) + one potted rose (Ghislaine de Felagonde) potted up in Pro Mix potting soil mixed with some perlite. I don't feed them until I plant them out in the spring(fish heads/guts, bannanas, manure and eggshells in the planting hole). I keep them in my unheated sunroom- it's supposed to be a 4 season room but it doesn't have a lot of insulation. We keep it blocked off from the rest of the house and the temp in there is about 45-55'F. I keep an eye on them for aphids, spider mites, etc. and blast off the little buggers with my kitchen sink hose or squash them. I hardly water them. I watered them back in November or December. I check the soil every week to 10 days. They don't seem too thirsty/dry so I've been leaving them alone. They started throwing out leaves big time a few weeks ago and they seem pretty happy. I'll post a picture on my blog later tonight, there are some pitures and comments on there about how things went last year, maybe that will help a little. Best of luck to you, I hope spring comes soon!

Here is a link that might be useful: A Potter's Garden (Roses)

Kaylah

are these own-root band sized plants?
or bare root roses on rootstock?

Luxrosa.

They're all own root, Luxrosa. Some are bands, some got potted up and grown into gallons. Captain Kidd and Doubloons are five gallons now and 4 feet tall. I don't do grafted roses anymore. They never grow beyond the 4 sticks that got grafted to the rootstock around here and I have 4 that are about 17 years old now and quit blooming. Charles de Mills has thrown out suckers from the old plant but not a posy around anywhere on them.
The kill rate from bands can be discouraging but it's better than grafted, though I did plant the graft 4 inches deep which helps.
They don't have much for leaves but the canes are sticking around. I thought Madame Isaac Perriere was a goner but she threw out a new green shoot.
Captain Kidd and Doubloons are really leafy.
I'Ve got all the roses on a water diet now. It does seem like there's a better way to feed a potted rose. I've seen some really nice pictures of patio roses on this website. I was wondering if Bayers would be too strong in a pot.
llhowland, I was having a lot of fun reading your website. Beats the news.