When you think about it, bare roots are traditionally harvested in Wasco in late December, perhaps very early January, depending upon the weather that year. They are stored in coolers, processed and sent out to whomever purchases them. I know Otto & Sons one year bought bare root Icebergs from J&P as late as early April as they ran through their entire stock of the variety and J&P still had 'dormant' plants in their coolers. That means those plants can be stored for three, four, perhaps more, months before actually being put into soil. They are 'dormant', but that does not mean they are not using resources...stored nutrients and water. It's at a significantly reduced rate, but their cells continue processing those nutrients to remain alive. The best storage is as close to, but above freezing, as possible with high humidity to prevent the plants from either being triggered into growth or drying out. Compare that to sitting on a store's shelf in body bags of drying out saw dust, under bright lights; or, as I have seen many times, sitting on tables under shade cloth in warm sun; warm, dry wind, being handled, scraped and bumped until either dumped or "rescued". By that time, many have leafed out and some even attempted to flower. Once they are exposed to warmer temps and bright light, the auxins and hormones begin to form, stimulating them to increase their cellular activity, grow leaves, use resources faster, trying to grow. I'm sure many of us have experienced cuttings exploding into growth, leaves and even flowering, only to collapse because they have no roots. The same thing happens to bare roots very easily. Warm and bright generates leaves and flowers. Cool, damp and dark stimulates root growth. I'm more surprised as many bare roots are planted the way many are and they GROW, instead of dying back or outright failing. Heeling them in or giving them a good soak to replace the water they have used, or lost from being held in too dry conditions is obviously the best procedure to follow. Mounding the canes after planting to reduce the amount of green canes exposed to warm, dry air and bright, hot sun until there are leaves being pushed; keeping the bud union damp, dark and cool until the plant is actively growing, produces some of the finest results. Now, add those which hate being dried out such as Peace, Angel Face, Sterling Silver and many others with strong Foetida back grounds. Is there much wonder why so many of those types are such rotten plants? Kim

For the very short period of time that you indicate the new roses will be in water, soak as much of the plant as you possibly can. If possible, submerge the entire plant. If things don't work out as planned, and if (like me, sometimes) you end up soaking those bareroots for WEEKS, then perhaps you might consider soaking just the lower portion -- which might (or might not) include the bud unions and a portion of the canes, in addition to the roots. The most important thing to keep in mind is the roots. At a minumum, keep the roots soaking until you can get your roses planted.

Chionochlola rubra, according to B&T Seeds, is one of many seeds which require 'smoking' in order to stimulate germination. 'Smoking' amounts to soaking/priming the seeds with a combination of chemicals which stimulate the production of a butenolide compound produced by certain plants when heated. For more information on the various methods used to overcome seed dormancy, check the Growing from Seed Forum.

I don't know if this is the official "right" answer, but here's what I do. . . 2 or 3 hours after I take anything out of the canner, I check the seal by gently touching the middle of the lid. If there is any give, I know that that jar has not sealed. So I take my sharpie and put a little dot on the lid. The next night (I do all my canning in the evening), when I take off my rings and wash my jars, any jar that has a dot on the lid, I check those jars extra carefully for the seal. Anecdotaly I have found that if a jar doesn't seal within an hour or 2, most likely it isn't going to seal. Based on the system I use, I would feel comfortable letting my jars sit an extra day or 2 before removing rings, washing and putting away for storage.