TIVO, I am exhausted just from reading all the complicated things you've done and are concerned about. My basic approach to ANY thing in life has always been to do it as simply and cheaply as possible. There is a simple thing you can do, which will not cost you one cent, that will make Every Single One of These irrelavant. I used generic potting soil from wal-mart, so I am not sure about the level of nutrients in the soil. I also mixed in a little bit of coffee grounds and composted cow manure, so I probably (i just learned) inadvertently temporally reduced the amount of what ever available soluble nitrogen was available. (I was smart enough to mix in extra perlite b/c blackberries need more drainage than most other plants.) Any way, I have 10 newly potted blackberry plants. I was wondering if I should use Miricle-Gro Quikstart Transplant Solution (or any other brand). Do I risk root burn if I use this before the plants have a chance to get over the shock of shipping and planting? or will it help reduce the shock as advertised? If I leave the plants alone (except for watering of course) will it be awhile before the plants even need available NPK? Do you think the available soluable NPK already in the soil is adequate until the plants show growth? I am also considering putting in plant food spikes (about half or less the recommended amount until growth starts) b/c of the slower release. The small amount b/c it's mostly root and small stems and the desire to "do no harm." What do you all suggest? Here is what I suggest: Simply put a layer of grass clippings on top of whatever soil you have in the pots. (I would have used plain old soil from my yard, which is free!) The grass clippings will: 1. provide all the nutrients your blackberries neeed. Ive had thornless blackberries for 32 years, in the ground. The only "fertilizer" they've gotten is grass clippings- with maybe an occassional banana peel or other kitchen scrap. 2. Make any worries about fertilizer burn- simply Can't happen with them- or nutrient deficiencies a thing of the past. 3. Let you go longer between waterings, because they keep the soil much cooler and moister. 4. Prevent weeds, which can come up even in pots. A couple of tips on using the clippings in the pots. (And later when the berries are in the ground.) 1. Don't let the clippings actually touch the stems of the berries, especially fresh clippings. All the moisture in them could rot the stems, though blackberries are just about impossible to kill. In the pots, you can make small collars from yogurt cups or something similar to put aruond the stems. 2. Always water before you appply clippings, so they can "lock in" the moisture. This holds true in the ground, too, but is even more important in fast-drying-out pots. Then try not to get the clippigns wet for a while, till they've dried. It wouldn't hurt your plants one bit, but they might smell a little. Oh, I'm curious why you think blackberries "need more drainage than most other plants?" I have heavy clay soil, and they've done just fine. In fact, many people are afraid to grow blackberries, cause they are so hardy and "take over the yard." (On that, if you'd like to know a way to keep that from happening, post a question.) Oh, I hope you didn't pay extra to get Ten plants? The way blackberries spread, believe me, One would be sufficient. Ive given away hundreds of plants to other local gardeners over the years. Tyrell

how low at night ... leafed or not?? either .. dampen some potting media.. and jam them all in one pot .... and put them in shade .. or the basement .. to keep them cool ... to hold them for a few days or just plant them ... shouldnt it being snowing in a week .. lol key for me .. natives ... most are run it over with the truck plants.. one of the reasons they are native.. lol .. a bit circuitous there ... if its in the 50's at night.. should be plenty of time for them to recover overnight ... if you could shade them a bit.. even better ... to lazy to look it up.. but arent they all deciduous ??? .. if so.. so what if they get hot and lose the leaves .. that are supposed to fall off in a week or two anyway??? eh?? ken

I would pot it up in a nice large pot and keep it well watered and fertilized. You can over-winter it in your unheated garage and plant it next spring, or keep it as a potted rose. I've found that my more tender roses tend to prefer this approach. Another option would be to plant it but mound the canes with mulch. Since it is a bare root, you need to keep the canes well hydrated until the new feeder roots develop - whether it is in a pot or in the ground. Otherwise you risk dehydration, which can kill the rose. After 4 or 5 weeks, the rose will send out new growth and you can gradually (and carefully!) remove the mulch. I've been able to successfully establish a late-planted potted bareroot rose by wrapping the canes in a layer of burlap, and keeping the burlap moistened daily, since it is more difficult to keep mulch mounded on the canes of a potted rose. You can also make a collar of cardboard or plastic to hold the mulch in place in the pot (sort of like a dessert souffle!). What do you other folks think?

Too much water can rot the roots. Too little water in a hot climate can cause death by dehydration. The black streaks are probably stem canker of the botrytis type that entered at pruning cuts. I have seen it spread aggressively when a plant is dormant or semi-dormant, and for that reason I avoid unnecessary pruning in fall or winter. Actively growing plants have an immune response that usually prevents the runaway spread of such infections. If you prune out cankers, sterilize the pruners and cut > one inch below the visible infection and just above a leaf or latent bud (former leaf site). But it is probably not good to keep nipping repeatedly during winter, if you have real winter there. Yellow canes are dying canes. The fungus might have attacked because the canes were already dying for some reason, or it may have caused them to die. Sometimes roses die back for mysterious reason, for example poor conditions during cold storage before you bought it. No telling whether the plant will survive or not.