Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley Thank you! I had no idea that fungus gnats would attack rooted cuttings and cause wilt and killing them. I have had a few rooted cutting die in the last month....leafed out, then wilt and die. I did not water with mosquito bits, but I did try 1/3 hydrogen peroxide with 2/3 water. I also just recently read that a low fan with help dry out the top of the soil and it can cut down the gnats laying eggs. Too wet of soil has been causing me problems. I also had aphids from the new growth and blew them off with compressed air outside. cheekychick510 It takes a little bit to keep the cuttings alive after rooting, but keep it up. Rose Geek youtube has a number of ideas too. But this is more helpful to ask questions here.

I don't see anything odd looking about the new foliage on your plant. It is common for new growth to be red, depending upon the genetics of the variety. New growth can look "puckered" due to a variety of causes, many of which require nothing from you to alter. I wouldn't continue clipping off the new growth as it would be harmful to the plant. Just keep it watered and fed as you have been and it should be OK. Or, it should continue being OK, rather. Good luck.

it needs to be warmer then 68F, it prefers to be above 75F at all times and 75F-85F is the best for it. then you can water it much more often. and it would do better with some warming late-early partial sun, especially in winter. when they get a chill they throw these huge spots on leaves. Damp and cool does it, usually in winter. It leeds to root rot and those huge spots like you got. 65f is winter for it and 68F is deep fall ;) . but i see you are in 9b-10b, so you can't be That cold. Lift it off the floor (it's cooler there) at least and put it into better light. the soil should not be drying up more then half-way at any rate and it should be light enough for you to water once a week. if your soil takes 2 weeks to dry - that's too wet for 68F for sure and you need to lighten the mix as recommended above. it'll pass once the temps rise and it grows new roots. It looks to be a strong plant, so it should survive this. smaller ones might not though.

Lol Peter! You changed your name! Can I purchase some if your spider mites? I don't have quite enough! 1beautylover, I'd definitely wait a good while before choosing best seedlings. They will change a lot still.