To me there's a point when they look to be vigorously growing. Usually this is when the top growth is as big or a little bigger than the gallon pot.

If they haven't filled the one gallon pots with roots yet I'd wait to pot them into bigger pots. I've found that putting them in larger pots sometimes slows them down instead of encouraging them to grow. I can't say why but it seems like that's what happens.

That was pretty much my take on it. I will try to get some photos today so you all can see what they bands look like. We have just started to get some warm days, as opposed to highs in the 30's, so will hope to start seeing some growth. I had really wanted to see the bands looking larger and filled out, like Mendocino rose said - plants looking larger than the pots. These are Vintage Gardens bands and I really want to baby these into doing their best.
Judith

When repotted, they invest energy in root development as opposed to top growth. Good for the rose but not showy for the grower. You can wait a bit longer. Are they TINY bands or the leafy bigger adolescents? I would keep the tiny bands in smaller pots so as not to stress them.

I took some photos yesterday. In the first photo, the band on the left is a Vintage band that came last fall. Very tiny. I potted it [along with 4 other very tiny ones] and have kept it in the greenhouse all winter. It has leaves whereas the one on the right, the older band which has been outside, does not. The tiny bands are certainly staying put, probably until at least fall. I slipped 2 of the older bands out of their pots briefly and noted that part of the soil could have fallen off, which told me that their roots have not filled the pot. Do these older bands look too scrawny, should they have bigger canes, or are they coming along about like they should? If anyone has any photos of bands, it would be a help to compare and see if I am on track or if they are too small. Thanks for any advice!
Judith
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Here's a post where I asked the same question, but with a picture to show the roots when I slipped the pot off them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Old Post on re-potting

Uh, they both look good to me. Are u getting any little feeder roots coming out of the bottom? I would pot up, but not too big. I would trim a little and water well.
They look like own roots, so they may not be lush for a while. Hard to say when we don't know the rose.

I checked the one on the right - am seeing feeder roots but nothing close to the bottom. The smaller one was potted up in the fall and I seriously doubt it has made much progress. I stuck in its photo to compare the older potted band. Glad to hear you say they look good! The tiny one is a Vintage band from fall out of their import group. The other is Braveheart from Heirloom. On the older bands, I have dribbled a bit of Rose Tone and I watered with a VERY dilute solution of rainwater and Maxicrop seaweed/kelp.

I find it interesting that I keep seeing a similar pattern. First, people recommend NOT providing fertilizer for new bands. Then, I see people posting about their bands taking so long to grow. I understand that water-soluble fertilizers can burn tender band-roots if given in excess, but I tried mixing my own nutrient-rich potting mix for my bands last Spring.

In a wheelbarrow, I mixed equal parts (by volume) of peat moss, shredded hardwood mulch, and Bovung dehydrated cow manure (all from Home Depot). For 1gal containers (tiny bands), I sprinkled 1/2 cup of Jobe's Organic Knock-Out fertilizer in layers as I filled the pots. For 2gal containers (larger bands), I used 1 cup. When fully potted, each received its first soaking with fish/seaweed emulsion diluted in water at half the recommended rate, then set out in mid-Spring to get all the rain and sun. Where I am, beat-down hot sun doesn't really arrive until June, and by that time, the bands were growing well enough to have been put in full-sun, anyway.

I did get some "really tiny bands" with my order, while others were more substantial -- virtually all grew like gangbusters. My 'Jaune Desprez', a yellow Tea-Noisette notorious for being a slow starter own-root, came as a thin twig but soon put out a new cane from the roots that grew, sprouted further, and reached over 6' tall by the end of Autumn. I posted about it on the Antiques forum, with lots of before and after pics.

Addendum -- the 'Sweet Chariot' I received was mislabeled, and turned out to be some mystery Multiflora hybrid yet to be identified.

:-)

~Christopher

Here is a link that might be useful: Some before and after showing growth so far