Gosh I thouht all of these years that San grow from the roots, and not the tips. I learned something to day. I would remove the damaged leaves, either toss them or replant. I repot mine every three years leaving only three perfect growths to a pot. I have also found out in the past 30 years that they can break out of anything that you pot them in, so don't buy expensive pots for them. They love to fill the pot and be crowded. I am so glad that your plant has grown so beautiful. Cats won't eat anything that can harm them, and as far as I know rubbing against a leaf will do no damage to the cat, cut the base of those nasty looking leaves all the way to the base, or remmove them by taking the whole cluster out and cutting out the unnessary growth completely from the rest. Get the cats their own scrathing post. Norma

adastra09 - as the others have mentioned, are you using a light set-up for your plants? If not, then you need one (see the FAQ here) and if so then either it isn't enough or it is too far away from the plants. Most young seedlings don't require any feeding. Plants yes, seedlings no. If your plants are already quite long and lanky with weak stems then there really isn't alot to can do to improve them except transplant them into larger containers and, when possible, plant them deeply up to just below the lowest set of leaves. But without sufficient light they will just stretch out all over again. Leafy greens, things that don't have stems but which grow from the base cluster can't be deep transplanted. In some cases you can give them a bit of a haircut back to about 3 inches and they will send up new leaves. But again without lots of light they will just stretch out again. So providing sufficient artificial light is the primary solution to your problem. That and not starting your plants so early. ;) Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Growing from Seed FAQ

The plant needs more light. It's too far from the window. When leaves fall out because the base is brown and soft, the problem is likely to be excessively wet potting mix. You said you water when the surface is dry. How far down is it dry? Stop using fertilizer for now.

Thanks for taking time to respond, Ken. Your phrase about loving my plants to death made me giggle. I used to groom dogs, and that's the phrase we would use when referring to morbidly obese pets lol! It makes total sense to apply it to plants too. I appreciate you letting me know that I had latched onto incorrect information. I had planned to fertilize the roses every two weeks because that was what several websites said that they needed when I was searching for care instructions. It didn't quite make sense to me, but I wasn't sure if the minis needed extra attention since they are in pots for the time being. I have a full sized rose in the garden that is doing exceptionally well with minimal time investment on my part. I water it, prune it, deadhead when I remember, and put new mulch down every year but that's the extent of its care unless I see it's having an issue. I live in southeastern Louisiana, so blackspot and powdery mildew are common issues for some gardeners down here. These little ones will go into large containers when it's time for them to move outdoors. I am originally from Georgia, and am planning to move back home this fall to be able to spend more time with my dad. He's in the early stages of liver failure and has RA, so he'll probably be needing some help managing his home before too long. I am planning to take my little roses and some gardenias I've grown from cuttings with me to plant at my new house. Thank you for the link to the "shrubbery" (sorry, total Monty Python fan here lol) instructions. Summer down here is no joke, the sun can and will bake plants to a crisp in no time if I'm not careful. As for your new addition: I'm sorry for not being sorry lol! I was cruising through minis on the Heirloom Roses site and was in awe over the many different colors they have to offer. I saw striped ones like the one you picked up and they do look quite glorious! I signed up to be notified when Cafe Ole becomes available again, I thought it was such a beautiful color and am excited about the prospect of it being somewhat fragrant. There were others that I added to my wish list as well, I'm a sucker for the apricot, orange, and coral colored varieties. Innocence and Violet Mist really grabbed my attention as well. I'm glad to hear you'll enjoy your new plant, when I got mine they were also discounted. I got them a couple of days after Valentine's Day from Wal-Mart for around $2.75 as well. Chris had asked me if he could treat me for the occasion and I had told him no, but when I saw the roses I changed my tune lol! Their roots were also not very long, but that may have been because 2-3 plants were crammed into each 3 inch pot. Only time will tell how well they develop, but in the meantime they're bringing me a lot of joy! Thanks again for your time and knowledge!