Some people pinch off the flowers before they open to encourage more strong growth. I do not worry much about it I just keep the plants well watered and fertilized.

Lance

Guess I am overprotective with my bands - I put them in 1 gallon pots in good soil and grow them that way until they are quite strong and their roots fill the pot. I got several orders from Vintage last fall - a few of them are so vigorous I have moved them into larger pots. Some were very tiny and I felt they would grow better in pots - now they are still tiny but growing well and I think they need this time in pots before going in the ground. I have just started fertilizing them lightly with fish emulsion and sea kelp. All are putting out new leaves and starting to grow. Some will be able to go in the ground later in spring, but I will probably grow most in the pots until next fall. I will continue to lightly fertilize them and watch them closely. Maybe I am too cautious, but seems I remember reading that someone grew theirs in pots for a year......I enjoy fiddling with them so its no trouble for me to do this. It would be interesting to hear how others grow their bands.
Judith

This is a good thread for me since I have four bands coming from Vintage very soon. I think I will pot them up into gallons. The scary part of that is that I am forgetful about watering and that is BAD for potted plants. Maybe I'll see how robust they are looking before I decide.

-Greta

To answer your question concerning whether you should pinch out new growth to encourage branching -- NO! At this point, you shouldn't do anything that slows photosynthesis and the resulting production of sugars that promote growth of the entire plant -- top growth and roots. Than means keeping as many healthy leaves on your small plants as possible. It's not branching that you want, but new growth from the roots.

I'm one of those who believes that removing flower buds from small plants serves to speed the growth process, so that's the only pinching I would recommend.

I have new bands coming from Vintage in March of 'Pretty Jessica' (I already have a larger one growing in the ground that I got from Roses Unlimited), 'Marie Pavie' x 2, and 'White Pearl in Red Dragon's Mouth'. Also three bands of 'Pacific Serenade' coming from Nor'East. I ordered multiples of 'Marie Pavie' & 'Pacific Serenade' because one each of them will go directly into the ground (which may be a little risky for tiny plants). The rest of them will go into one gallon pots. I won't even think about pruning them for the first year, and probably not even the second.

Randy

I've always planted them straight into the ground and they've all done very well except for the noisettes which have put on very little growth. Strangely enough about ten miles from here, in a previous garden, the noisettes took off like gangbusters when planted straight in the ground. I tend to always do what's most convenient for me (health issues) and fortunately in my climate I've gotten away with it. Many more experienced gardeners than I advocate growing bands on in pots and I would follow their advice rather than mine, for the sake of safety.

Ingrid

I plant them in bigger pots from gallons on up to bigger if the plant is going to be container grown.
After that it's food and water until they're big enough to plant out in the garden, which is usually six months after I receive them.
I'm fortunate that I can plant almost year round and I take advantage of that.
I pinch nothing and only prune spent blooms for at least the first year.

Here's an interesting tidbit about bands. A few years ago, I ordered a bunch of bands and they arrived in early February. I live in east Texas and although we get cold weather here, spring starts tuning up this month. I had to keep them in the little tiny pots they were in as I had no time to pot them at that time - but pulled the plastic sleeves up around the plant. Lo and behold.....that provided a microclimate for the little bands and I noticed they started to take off in spite of me not having time to plant them. By the time I was able to get them in gallon pots, they were really taking off. Now.....I have these shelves that I place the pots on and put plastic over them at night. It provides warmth and I think the roses do better. I have lots of new growth on my bands coming on now. I do get them into gallon pots in loose soil ammended with perlite when I get them but try to keep them covered from the cold. I do have a greenhouse, but I feel its too warm for them there......I have found they do better outside, but protected at night.
Judith

I stumbled onto almost the same technique that Alameda describes above. I now keep my bands in the narrow, elongated pots (originally designed for tree seedlings) that most growers now use. I place those in gallon pots and surround them with sphagnum or vermiculite or gravel -- anything to stabilize them in the pots -- & grow them on like that for about six weeks before planting them in the gallon containers. I've found that the roots really do take off in those cramped quarters.

If you try this, however, be forewarned that you have to be very vigilant with your watering schedule.

I received my first band rose from Heirloom Roses. Blush Noisette. I was amazed at how little bittie tiny it was. We dug a normal size rose bush hole, and ammended the soil as we should. The little precious thing went between a wall and a palm tree in partial shade. In only one month, it has doubled it's size and looks very healthy! If it doesn't bloom it's first year, I'll be ok with that. Across the courtyard will go Darlow's Enigma. I'd love to play with cross polinating the two. Darlow's Enigma will arrive Monday according to my UPS tracking number.

I'm not sure if Darlow's is own root or band packaged, but it will get the same treatment as my teeny little Blush Noisette.

Suzi

Suzi

Congrats on the success of planting your Blush Noisette. And you should have the same success with Darlow's Engima. If you are getting Darlow's Enigma from Heirloom, it will be own root in a band pot. This is true of the majority of the smaller independenly owned rose nurseries.
I repot my band roses into 1gal pots just to give them a head start but most of my roses are grown in containers anyway.