30 seconds means nothing in itself. Measure how many seconds it takes to draw a gallon or five gallons at the water pressure that flows through the tap that you use. If you have medium to heavy soil, apply the 5 gallons once a week. If you have sandy or shallow soil, divide it into two smaller applications twice a week. Roses in pots or newly transplanted from pots may need water every 2 days. Once well established, roses can go a long time without water, but they will stop growing after a couple of weeks with dry topsoil. 5 gallons/week would probably be needed only during the hottest Michigan weather. 3-4 gallons would be enough in spring and fall, or during overcast weeks.

watering is an art.. NOT a science... no such thing as a schedule in the art world ... water when the tree needs water .... insert finger.. or dig a small hole to find out if water.. moving through your soil .. in your yard.. in your climate.. is getting to the rootball ... you need to provide water.. for 2 or 3 years.. to all the roots that were cut off for transplant ... superficial watering of the surface.. will insure death ... put the hose on trickle... for an hour.. go dig a small hole.. and see how deep the water got.... if it did not get down the two or three feet of the rootball size.. water for another hour.. go dig another hole .... all this digging.. outside the rootball is not going to harm the rootball.. since it was just planted.. do NOT dig within the rootball ... just next to it ... i am talking hand trowel... not shovel .... once you determine how long it takes to get water down there .... turn off the water.. and put the hose away ... and do NOT water again.. until your finger.. inserted to the second knuckle.. under the mulch i hope you applied.. indicates that the soil is dry or hot .... as much as the roots need water.. they also need air ... do NOT drown the thing with too much love .... good luck ken

Golden Canes are pretty tough, they can manage hot dry conditions but it will slow their growth. I have quite a few clumps of them. From the same lot of seedlings those planted in a dry area where they didn't get irrigation are only about 300 to 400 mm tall. Those with irrigation have more plants in the clump and are about 3+ metres tall. My soil is more gravelly rather than sandy so also drains very rapidly. But during the wet season the ground is waterlogged for several months. They are however susceptible to a fungus and wet conditions will promote the fungus, if it becomes present. That's why some people get sudden die-back in their Golden Canes. Local nurseries should be able to tell you if the fungus is present in your area.

How long are you planning on keeping these roses in containers? Will you ever be able to plant them in the ground? If you plan on leaving them in pots for years, I would not use 20 gallon black plastic pots - you could cook them in full sun in a hot climate. Since you just got these roses, and just planted them in 4 gallon containers, I would leave them alone (with lots of water as everyone says) for at least 6 months. They need to recuperate from being transplanted, and need to be left in peace to grow some roots. If they were mine, I would leave them alone for 6 months, or until I saw roots growing out of the bottom of the containers. If I then wanted to transplant them again into a bigger container where they would have to stay for years, I would get a non-glazed normal clay colored CLAY container, and it would be way bigger than 20 gallons - maybe 40 or 50. If, on the other hand, you will be able to plant the roses in the ground, a 20 gallon plastic pot would probably be OK for another year or so until you can put them in the ground, but not black. Drainage - I do not put any of the pots my potted roses are in directly on the ground, cement, etc. There are many things you can buy to put under the pots (from cheap to expensive) to help them drain. I try to keep my pots up on these sort of things at least 1 1/2 inches above whatever surface they are on. Glad your roses perked up when you gave them more water. That is how we all learn about roses on here - asking for advice, and then seeing what works! Good luck, and keep us advised about how you do with these roses. Jackie