Hi, It's been in front of a window that gets some morning light and I've been watering it about every 10 days. When my friend gave me the plant she said she had put it in a new pot and trimmed the root ball. There used to be 2 stalks coming out of the cane, but it got very brown and all of the leaves started dropping off so I cut that stalk off. The leaves on the new growth at the base of the cane look somewhat healthier, but I'm just not sure what to do next...

When planting, water the soil around the rose as you plant to settle it and fill any voids. Don't tamp or pack the soil. Water morning so any wet leaves can dry. Water draining during the night could be leaving the plants with less moisture than may be desirable. It needs to be available during the heat of the day when evaporation from the leaves is the greatest and loss of feeder roots when planting means moisture cannot be replaced so the foliage wilts. As stated above, losing soil from the roots when planting causes tiny feeder roots to fall away, leaving the plant with no means to take up moisture. These feeder roots grow back quickly but until they do, your plant will show signs of water distress. Fertilizers applied when planting can burn newly emerging feeder roots so fertilizers should not be applied until after the first bloom or the bush is growing well. A little aged horse manure or an organic slow release fertilizer is fine but it should not be in direct contact with the roots. Mix it well with the soil in the bottom of the hole before planting so the roots can grow into it. If these were own root plants they should be planted no more than an inch deeper than they were in the pot. Feeder roots grow in the top six inches of soil. Larger deeper roots are anchor roots. Grafted bare root roses should be planted so the graft knob is 4 inches or more below the soil surface to protect it from winter freeze. E-mail me for instructions on planting a potted bush to avoid soil loss and transplant stress. Overwatering is easy to do if you have poor draing clay and extremely difficult if you have well draining sandy soil. Digging a hole in clay and adding new soil or over amending what's there can create a bathtub that holds water. If this was done, you should make sure you are not overwatering and drowning the roots. Roots need oxygen just as we do. Water pulls it down to the roots but water setting on the roots can prevent them from using it. When I plant I settle the soil around the bush with water and don't tamp or compact the soil. I let it be as loose as possible without leaving voids. Rain and watering will settle the soil as much as it needs to be.

Wow! Thanks for all the input. As far as pruning the tomatoes, I did see a video where they were showing how to pinch off growth in the crotches of the vine, but strangely I don't see that on my plants. I grow indoors because I want to avoid pests...bugs and small mammals, and also because I plan to do this over the winter. The red bell peppers are starting to flower. They're in the same room with the tomatoes. The herbs are in a different room with a different light source. Still no flowers on my tomatoes, but I'll try and be patient. I did increase the bloom solution at last water change, so I'm hoping that will help. "The Master Gardener"...thanks...this is very helpful. My garden started out like that by accident, since I added the other room as an afterthought. The older plants were started in the smaller room with a 200w light and then when I expanded they ended up in the new area with a 400w light source. "sdgrower"...thank much! I have a mild solution for the herb ebb & flo system, and a more specific solution for the peppers (ebb & flo) and tomatoes(buckets). The onions seem to like that milder solution, as do the zucchini (which is growing huge BTW)... I posted a video showing my little operation on my webpage: www.brucesblues.com It's in the newsletter section....just scroll down a bit. Thanks for all the help! astrumur

Hello, I was a member of Gardenweb rose forums way back in 04-07 but then life got in the way. I used to go to the Vic Gardenweb meet ups, but I've lost touch with everyone. I've also lost my original rose garden, including my old moss rose collection due to a knockdown/rebuild, where none of the roses could be dug out and saved due to their positioning. I have a new blank slate garden now and need advice on which sellers in Vic are still selling Moss Roses, bourbons and in particular I'm chasing down a Souvenir Du Docteur Jamain to replace the one I had. I'm looking forward to the bare root season next year, which gives me time to chase everything I want down. Lastly, any pure white climbing rose suggestions (not Iceberg) will be welcomed, as I'm looking for something fragrant for the front fence.