If (?) this is the zip code (42223) the roses are planted in it's coming up zone 7a on two different hardiness maps. I'm in zone 5b-6a right on the line so conditions are different here. You could contact a Rose Society in your area and ask them how deep to plant the bud union in your exact area. I can only guess... This post was edited by jim1961 on Sun, Apr 7, 13 at 20:49

PH - I forgot to commrent on that "over-potting" thing. Here is an ovedrview of what determines appropriate pot size, from something I wrote and posted to another thread or two past: How large a container 'can' or 'should' be, depends on the relationship between the mass of the plant material you are working with and your choice of soil. We often concern ourselves with "over-potting" (using a container that is too large), but "over-potting" is a term that arises from a lack of a basic understanding about the relationship we will look at, which logically determines appropriate container size. It's often parroted that you should only move up one container size when "potting-up". The reasoning is, that when potting up to a container more than one size larger, the soil will remain wet too long and cause root rot issues, but it is the size/mass of the plant material you are working with, and the physical properties of the soil you choose that determines both the upper & lower limits of appropriate container size - not a formulaic upward progression of container sizes. In many cases, after root pruning a plant, it may even be appropriate to step down a container size or two, but as you will see, that also depends on the physical properties of the soil you choose. Plants grown in 'slow' (slow-draining/water-retentive) soils need to be grown in containers with smaller soil volumes so that the plant can use water quickly, allowing air to return to the soil before root issues beyond impaired root function/metabolism become a limiting factor. We know that the anaerobic (airless) conditions that accompany soggy soils quickly kill fine roots and impair root function/metabolism. We also know smaller soil volumes and the root constriction that accompany them cause plants to both extend branches and gain o/a mass much more slowly - a bane if rapid growth is the goal - a boon if growth restriction and a compact plant are what you have your sights set on. Conversely, rampant growth can be had by growing in very large containers and in very fast soils where frequent watering and fertilizing is required - so it's not that plants rebel at being potted into very large containers per se, but rather, they rebel at being potted into very large containers with a soil that is too slow and water-retentive. This is a key point. We know that there is an inverse relationship between soil particle size and the height of the perched water table (PWT) in containers. As particle size increases, the height of the PWT decreases, until at about a particle size of just under 1/8 inch, soils will no longer hold perched water. If there is no perched water, the soil is ALWAYS well aerated, even when the soil is at container capacity (fully saturated). So, if you aim for a soil (like the gritty mix) composed primarily of particles larger than 1/16", there is no upper limit to container size, other than what you can practically manage. The lower size limit will be determined by the soil volume's ability to allow room for roots to 'run' and to furnish water enough to sustain the plant between irrigations. Bearing heavily on this ability is the ratio of fine roots to coarse roots. It takes a minimum amount of fine rootage to support the canopy under high water demand. If the container is full of large roots, there may not be room for a sufficient volume of the fine roots that do all the water/nutrient delivery work and the coarse roots, too. You can grow a very large plant in a very small container if the roots have been well managed and the lion's share of the rootage is fine. You can also grow very small plants, even seedlings, in very large containers if the soil is fast (free-draining and well-aerated) enough that the soil holds no, or very little perched water. I have just offered clear illustration that the oft repeated advice to 'only pot up one size at a time', only applies when using heavy, water-retentive soils. Those using well-aerated soils are not bound by the same restrictions. Al

Depends on the soil but generally banana roots don't go a long way down.

I agree Rhizo, but an oak in an area where there will be drought, ( those california Live oaks) will need those taproots. I have NEVER BEEN TO CALIFORNIA, but, I hear about the droughts in Cali, so i am thinking that the oaks there will need there taproot. I have a couple trees grown from acorn, 2 from Dax sending me acorns, 1 Q. Libani and 1 Q, Macrocarpa. They are doing fine, my area gets regular rain usually. But, if we have a droughty growing season this year, I have at least 4 acorn grown trees that I don't have to water. I also have 2 Q. Robur from acorns. So 4 altogether from seed. But anyway, all my trees are pretty settled in. I have bought them all fairly small and young. I don't know how our growing season will be, plenty of rain or droughty conditions.