Need tips for planting poorly growing rose bush into pot

15 years ago

I have a rose bush given to me by a friend. She'd dug it out of a pot where she'd had it growing for about a year, gave it to me, and I drove it home and then transplanted it into the ground. This was well over a year ago and it's not doing very well (I live east of San Francisco -- not sure what zone that is). I believe this rosebush is an "antique" one, and since putting it into the ground last year it's hardly grown at all and now only has two buds in mid-May, that are just barely opening. Other than that, it seems healthy -- no bugs or gunk/fungus on the leaves. I'd like to transplant this rosebush into a pot and see if it does any better. (In its current location, it's getting 6-8 hours of sun a day, but the soil is poor). Can anyone give me tips on: what kind of pot (wood, clay, plastic?), and what kind of soil? I had another rose bush in a wood planter before, and had troubles with ants "taking home" in it (funny, but I've noticed that ants love taking home in wood planters!), so I'm inclined towards a plastic planter this time, with lots of volcanic vermiculite at the bottom for aeration. (I know the trouble with plastic pots is that they don't breath well). I appreciate any responses. Many thanks.

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Comments (11)

triple_b
15 years ago
I know there is such a thing as foam pots. They look like terra cotta but have a plastic exterior and a layer of foam insulation. Not only are they lightweight in case you need to move them the foam act as a buffer from temperature extremes for the roots.
Try and get ahold of some horse manure, well rotted. Roses love that stuff.
Also, try alfalfa tea. Lots of threads on that stuff. :o)
rosesnpots
15 years ago
I have 12 roses in pots and this is what I do. I have them all in at least a 20" pot either plastic or the foam type. I use commerical potting mix usually MG but I have read many people having good luck with Wal-Mart potting mix. Some of the main things to remember is, make sure the drainage is good from the bottom of the pot. I drill extra holes if need be.
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Since you plan to plant out your roses after starting them in pots, would think the type of soil you'll have in your garden at the new house is a key consideration. Will you establish beds at your new place with a blend of topsoil & compost or amend the native soil in some way to provide favorable growing conditions? In my experience, matching the container blend closely to the garden soil in which a plant will later grow is important, since a mismatch between the two can prove problematic down the line. Commercial "potting soil" substitutes peat moss as the growing medium for soil & is considered soilless. Plants growing in that can have a hard time expanding their roots into garden soil once transplanted & the original potting soil can continue to stay wetter or drier than surrounding soil for a good while until worms & soil organisms knit it into the whole. With your bare root roses, you'll mainly see anchor roots, as the finer network of feeder roots that grow from these are mostly lost in harvest & storage. Once planted, new feeder roots will develop from the anchors to multiply moisture & nutrient delivery. In a transitional pot intended for garden transplant, I like a slightly lighter version of the target site the plant will later occupy - a bit fluffier than the garden soil to maximize feeder root development & retard compaction of the planting mixture that can occur in a pot, but composed mainly of the same elements & textures of the final planting location, so a custom mix. When utilizing potting soil, I look for one with no fertilizer added or at most a slow release, but then I like to control what type of fertilizer & schedule, and generally give none to bare roots until they leaf out & in liquid organic form at that time to sidestep burning new feeder roots. Mixed thoroughly with quality topsoil & finished compost in equal parts, makes a good potting soil that can be further tweaked. Agree with nikthegreek about container size. Better to later pot up to a larger size if necessary when new roots have filled the pot than to have soil & roots fall away when you go to plant in the garden. Nursery pots are shaped to allow for easy transplant, can have the bottoms cut away, be supported beneath & placed in the planting hole & then have the pot sides cut way for minimal root disturbance. If using dark pots, slip them into light colored containers to keep them cool. Dark pots heat up quickly & can cook the roots. Potting bare roots this late, out of season, need to be careful the canes don't sunburn before leaf out, so the morning sun on your East facing porch should help until the foliage grows. If the humidity doesn't keep up, may want to mist the canes & new leaves with the mist setting of a watering wand to mimic moister air, or set the pots on large saucers filled with gravel & standing water below the top of the gravel which can evaporate moisture to the roses above. Have the impression your area is relatively low humidity usually? Turn the pots for leaf development as you would houseplants on a windowsill for even growth. Once they've leafed out, you may want to gradually give them more sun exposure till they get the same as where you plan to plant them. Most of the Austins here get morning sun from sunrise till 1-3 pm & do fine. If you find the growth stretching toward the sun even with turning the pots, that usually means they're wanting more of it. What an adventure for you - new roses, new home, new garden! Congratulations & enjoy the ride. (Just for the record, I'm in Nik's camp on rose potting for nourishment & endurance.)
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len511
15 years ago
what's the name of the rose? maybe it's a small one like the burgundian rose, rose de meux? You're not going to turn a beagle into a great dane!lol.
jim_w_ny
15 years ago
This Spring I dug up a rose that wasn't do well. I actually had two of them so I thought what the heck maybe it would be better in a pot. Well, the one in the ground began to look better while the one in the pot started to turn yellow. The leaves that is.

Reading a bit about containers on GW I read that putting a wick in the bottom of the pot helped drainage. So I improvised a wick with an old piece of cloth. Now the leaves are turning green. When you put a plant in the pot you interrupt the capillary action of water movement in the soil which exerts a powerful pull on water.

A wick helps overcome that. More holes, small pebbles in the bottom don't do anything.

I have a lot to learn about wicks, what material, how thick how long, etc. So far I'm using cotton clothes line in my newly potted roses coiled in the bottom and sticking out one of the holes.
perrydiane
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for all the tips. I'm going to take them all into consideration. Can anyone find me a link to a "foam pot"? I have no idea what kind you guys are really talking about, nor have I seen any that look like that (I don't think so, anyhow) at our local nursery.

I am also very curious about trying out "the wick" idea. Should I just take a length of cotton cloth, braid it somehow, and stick it into the bottom of the pot? Flat, or sticking upwards? I take it that "it" will absorb any excess water that develops.
jim_w_ny
15 years ago
I'm new to the wick thing. The first one I just used a piece of an old thick long sleeved T shirt. The I went to the local hardware looking for "wick" material. Only a amall amount for kerosene lamps.

So I got cotton clothes line cord. Cut it into 10' of so lengths and coiled it in the bottom of the pot sticking both ends out one of the holes. We'll see how that works.

The first pot with the bit of cloth seemed to help, did I mention that?, as the leaves began to turn back to green from yellow.
jim_w_ny
15 years ago
I forgot to mention that I added wicks to some already potted roses. I was horrified to find they were in plastic pots with these stuck on bottoms so they won't drain on wood floors, whatever. When I tilted the pots water poured out. Ripped them off!

I used the same method as the first pot, drilling a hole in the side, near the bottom, and shoving the piece of cloth into the hole.
rosesnpots
15 years ago
perrydiane

I have never used the "wick idea" so I cannot help you with that part of your question. As for the pots, I have found the foam pots all over at Lowes, HD, and even Wal-Mart. Look for pots that look like stone and try to pick it up, if it is easy to pick up it is most likely a foam pot. I only have 2 for the front of the house and the rest of my roses are in the plastic pots (a lot cheaper).

Hope this helps
triple_b
15 years ago
Yes economy and lumbar health restrict me to plastic over clay but I hope to upgrade to foam as funds allow.
perrydiane
Original Author
15 years ago
I found some foam planters here:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1?ie=UTF8&rs=286168&keywords=foam%20planter&rh=n%3A286168%2Ck%3Afoam%20planter&page=1

Expensive buggers!
rosesnpots
15 years ago
Yes foam pot are expensive, that is why I use plastic ones and like Jim said, pull the bottom trays off any pot you use. On another post, someone had spray painted their plastic pots with a paint made just for plastics. Might be the way to make a plastic pot not look so plain.

Need tips for planting poorly growing rose bush into pot

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Need tips for planting poorly growing rose bush into pot

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