If you're growing long term in a pot you should root prune regardless of how often you increase the pot size. Basically if you don't prune, the roots get progressively thicker and woody reducing the overall percentage of feeder roots. I didn't want to buy/lug a larger pot for my lemon tree this year and decided to root prune for the first time. It was easy and the tree is doing great. Here's an old post I found on the container plant forum that explains root pruning better than I ever could. It's not specifically geared toward citrus, but I found it helpful. Here is a link that might be useful: Root Pruning Trees

If you don't like a rose you don't need to keep it -- there is no reason to keep a rose that you dislike. However, you do not need to worry about it infecting your other roses with black spot. Black spot is endemic to the Americas so we can't get away from it. Even if you got rid of every rose in your garden it would still be there. I don't think that Belinda's Dream looks bad for a young rose in a pot -- especially a rose in a pot with other plants. They just don't grow as vigorously in a container as they do in the ground, and even then some of them are twiggier and others fuller. If I were you I'd give it a break and take the marigolds out from around it, and treat it to some fish fertilizer this summer. Re: pruning Olivia, I don't think it is necessary. We have ideas about dense growth and fungus that have some validity, but on the other hand the more leaves a rose has the more energy it produces. The more energy it produces, the better its immune system will be. Roses in pots are just inherently stressed (I say that as someone who has about 7/8 of her rose collection in pots). Given how well leafed out Olivia is, if it were mine, I'd leave it. If it grows super dense this year you can prune it next year before it leafs out. Nice plant! :)

Plants are economical organisms and are genetically programmed to make the best use of energy. The plant's chemical messengers keep Plant Central apprised of whether or not the ratio between roots:shoots is appropriate. If it is not, and because plants are shedding organisms, the plant will adjust the ratio to make best use of resources. If, for example, a plant receives a hard root pruning, the plant will shut down top growth until enough fine rootage grows to support new top growth; and/or, it will shed leaves/ branches enough that the roots are able to support at least the current volume of top growth. Should the top of the plant receive an extra-hard pruning, the most common response is heavy back-budding and shedding of existing roots beyond what is required to keep the top mass appropriately supplied with water/ nutrients. Other than some sense of knowing how much is too much (pruning roots or shoots) is too much, it isn't necessary that the grower does anything to interfere with this balancing act insofar as the root to shoot ratio is concerned; however, if the grower misjudges how far (s)he can go, there is risk that some wholesale shedding of top growth in the form of entire branches important to the plant's eye appeal might be lost; or, roots supporting one side of the tree might die back. So, while the idea that you need top growth to fuel new root growth, so you shouldn't prune the top when transplanting is a valid reasoning when it applies to plants which are being transplanted from pots, nursery cans, or balled/ burlapped specimens where the root:shoot ratio is already in balance, it falls apart when that ratio is notably unbalanced by heavy root or shoot pruning. IOW, the advice shouldn't be repeated as though it fits all transplanting applications. It doesn't. As long as you understand that watering intervals will be a critical consideration, half the battle is won. I suggest you use a "tell" to "tell" you when it's time to water, and water only when the tell comes out of the soil dry (for schefflera). More about using a "tell". Using a 'tell' Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need plenty of air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support the kind of root health most growers would like to see; and, a healthy root system is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips leads to avoid over-watering leads to a residual build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil from tapwater and fertilizer solutions, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor. In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water. Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'. One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue. ****************************************************************************************** Fertilizing is also a key component of your care regimen and is inextricably linked with your soil choice and watering habits. If you would like to have that discussion, let me know and I can offer some guidance. Al

Opuntia are actually extremely easy to root (aside with my issues with trying to root store bought pads). Just use either a pair of pruning shears or scissors to remove the pads. Each pad will grow a new plant. You can remove solitary pads or several attached, it's up to you. Place the pad(s) perpendicular to the surface of some well-draining soil, do NOT water it. I will use rocks some tiimes just to support the pads until they root. The soil should be only slightly moist to the touch..., you don't want it to rot. Should root. This one is the Eastern Prickly Pear that flowers in June.