I found that for some of mine they sit and sit and sit until I either pot them up (I think they like the fresh soil) or put them in the ground.

I had a pair of Louise Odiers that did just that, sit but I did not want them to spend another summer in a pot and put them in the ground to do their best, they are at the top of a 6 foot arch today.

Kim will tell you that weekly weakly helps too, he is right of course, that is a weak feeding weekly. I use fish emulsion

This is the Tahitian Sunset I propagated a year to year and a half ago -- there were three canes, but now only two, with one of the canes very top heavy.

Should I cut it down even though all the leaves are on top?

Here is a link that might be useful: Big size of pictures

Here's the pic of the base of the plant.

This propagation and the next post after this are the same age ...

Here's the other propagations (there's two of them in the same pot) that's the same age as the previous one.

The canes for most of my hybrid teas are always very leggy with no leaves towards the bottom of the plant --- to support the Pink Peace growth should I cut off the bloom? How far should I cut it off?

Thank you for replying ... I just repotted them so hopefully I'll see something different a week or two from now.

I can only grow in containers so fortunately/unfortunately I have about 15 plants.

So you fish fertilize new props separately with a how much of a weaker solution? I have Grower's Secret which I think has some fishy stuff but should I just get the actual Fish emulsion instead?

From what I see on line, your Grower's Secret should be as good as plain old fish emulsion, perhaps a bit better as it appears to be a bit more balanced a fertilizer. If the label says to use a tablespoon per gallon every two weeks, you can cut the dose in half and use it weakly, hence the "weakly, weekly". Your plant also appears it would benefit from pruning lower to encourage new basal breaks. Something you may consider when you do your usual spring pruning. Kim

This is the first real year that I am actively participating in their growth and attempting to optimize their output, so thank you for your advice.

I was told to keep the top parts because that's where the leaves (food) is developed and I might weaken the plant, so I've been hesitant to cut it down. But all but one of my HT's end up being bare legs with growth on top and I am looking for a change (Tahitian Sunset, Chicago Peace, Twilight Zone, Neptune).

If in heavy pruning there are no branch producing leaves, what would you do to keep it healthy? Wouldn't leaving them bare and exposed to the sun/heat be detrimental or can do I need to do anything special to protect them? (I imagine it's like having a head full of hair versus bald head exposed to full sun)

We don't really have a cold period here in Hawaii so does that affect "spring" pruning to where I should just do it now or should I wait til March?

Its more sunny 90% of the time, and I keep all the roses in pots since I am renting, if that helps.

Again, thanks for any opinions and advice. :)

The plant appears mature enough to endure some pruning to encourage branching. As you've seen, NOT pruning will lead to bare legs and overly long, top heavy plants. I understand "winter" doesn't really occur for you, but isn't the December to about February time your cooler (read 'less hot') period? That is when you probably want to prune all of your roses so the sun wouldn't be as severe and any potential sun scald reduced. They need to rejuventate themselves to produce new canes or they become too old and unproductive. That is the bane of "modern roses" which require juvenile wood to keep living and productive. Old Garden Roses tend to have longer lived canes and often don't need as heavy pruning to remain healthy and productive. Not that you should whack these extremely low every year, but they will need some pruning to encourage them to be bushier and to encourage new cane growth. Every year, you should probably cut one old, woodier cane out to make room for and encourage new basal canes to develop. Kim

Ok, I will be taking the top 1/3 off, this afternoon and buying some nail polish to seal the cut, just in case. But if this makes my roses bald headed and without hair/leaves, what special care/attention should I give them?

I was worried since Tahitian Sunset (propagated stem) had only two canes coming from the ground but crossing my fingers. My Twilight Zone (grafted) also only has two or three canes so we'll see how it reacts.

Most if not all of the nurseries in Oahu don't carry the garden roses for sale, or I would try and buy some of the old garden roses.

Your roses will be "bald" for a little while, until they put out new growth, which they will. I would not use nail polish to seal the cuts. I'm not sure if it might be toxic to the plant and cause some die back. If you want to seal the cuts, just drip candle wax on them when the sun isn't shining on the stems. Any time the sun shines on them, the sap flows stronger. If you can seal them when they are shaded and the temps cooler, the sap isn't flowing as strongly and they will seal faster and easier. When I cut the root stocks back on my newly budded plants this summer, I had some "bleeding" issues. I tried Elmer's Glue, which is water soluble and non toxic, but the sap flowed too strongly and washed the glue off. If yours aren't flowing that strongly, Elmer's might suffice. If it doesn't, then candle wax works perfectly. It isn't so hot it burns or kills the tissues and it is non toxic. Sealing the cuts to prevent any sap loss (bleeding), helps push new growth faster due to the higher sap pressure.

The Old Garden Rose types you should probably look at for your climate are Teas, Chinas, perhaps Noisettes, as they are more "tropical" than HTs and floribundas. I don't know what the issues might be bringing them into Hawaii, but if you can find growers who are willing to ship there and the transportation costs aren't outrageous, you might find them suited to the climate and enjoy their looks and performance in your garden. Good luck! Kim

Transportation costs are always an issue in Hawaii. I have resigned myself to being happy with what I have and what I can try to propagate from other people.

1/3 pruning of the HTs that only have 2/3 canes was scary, but I did it for some of the non-performers. I think I'll know by next month whether they'll remain in my garden or be donated to friends with more time to nurse them.

All of my plants are less than 3 years old and will remain in pots, so figuring out what to do with them as far as feeding, pruning, etc is something I'll try and perfect for my climate.

I decided not to seal the cuts because it was a pretty hot day anyway. I have not seen any signs of saps running off.

Thanks for all the info.