My purpose is not to disparage the supplier as they have gone over and above everything to produce this difficult rose. It potentially contains genes of Rugosa, Spinosissima and Hugonis. I say "potentially" as the historical documentation of its breeding has been confused, but whatever is in it, Hugonis is definitely there, which is why I wanted it. The other two species are generally not happy in my soil, water and climate, but Hugonis is.

When I received it, I planted it in a one gallon can of Miracle Grow Moisture Control Potting Soil, containing both coir and time released fertilizer. I have kept it evenly moist to prevent any potentially excessive water stress.

Here it is today, 24 days later, being dutifully inspected by my "stalker".
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In 24 days, the most actively growing shoot has grown 4.5". The chlorotic foliage is greening up well as shown below.




I presume this is closer to the "normal" foliage color as it was the darkest on the plant when received.

Were I inclined to enthusiastic hyperbole, I might describe the results as "immediate". Were I not more of a "wait and see" type of gardener, I might have begun treating the plant for observed issues before seeing what it wanted to do in MY conditions. It IS improving itself. Why?

A band sized soil ball in a band pot is subject to much more extremely fluctuating temperature changes. A band sized soil ball encapsulated in a gallon sized soil ball is much more efficiently insulated against temperature fluctuations. A band sized soil ball has no where near the water holding capacity of a gallon chunk of soil. The medium it was received in was a mix of coarse perlite and coarse fir bark chunks, necessitated by the production requirements of the producer. They overhead water frequently (notice the calcium deposits on the foliage) to maintain actively growing plants, in small pots in order to minimize the area and water quantity required. When I transplanted the rose, the soil ball was only held together by the vigorous root system. It was spongy and attempted to break apart in my hand, requiring extra care to actually be able to insert it into the surrounding potting soil. The plant could then switch from "survival mode" to actually growing.

In the past 24 days, the weather here has changed dramatically from the late "June Gloom" with morning fog, cooler, damper daily conditions and overnight heavy dew to brilliant, breezy, fogless sun. The daytime temps have increased from the very low 80s to nearly triple digits.

The moisture control soil contains much more "organic material" than the propagation medium in which it was received does. Even though that medium is still inside the potting soil ball, the potting soil is not only releasing nutrients from its organic material being "digested" faster due to increased water and heat, but also from the more quickly deteriorating time released inorganic fertilizer it contains. The moisture levels the plant has at its disposal are significantly greater than those available in the much looser, smaller band medium ball.

There is obviously more nitrogen, iron and other necessary "nutrients" now available to the plant. It is also obvious the other causes of stress it endured in the propagation medium and band sized container are being alleviated by the soil and pot size changes.

Had I "treated" this plant with any other products or substances, how could I possibly have determined what changes were due to what? Plus, the plant is demonstrating it probably won't NEED anything else from me for the time being, other than to be kept watered, observed, and left alone to do its thing. Not every issue demands immediate addressing, nor does every issue require extreme measures to address. Kim

Any new endeavor (growing plants, children, pets, breeding plants, animals, you name it) results in the "newbie syndrome". If you aren't aware of how the subject works by itself, every issue is an emergency and life-threatening. It's natural to be concerned and a symptom of the "newbie syndrome" to over react and feel you must strike immediately with all the weapons available.

Most plants, roses in particular, are not the frail, fragile, temperamental primadonnas we expect them to be. As long as you start with a viable plant, suited to your climate and conditions and don't do anything SEVERELY ignorant, but give it the basics of what it requires to grow, it's VERY difficult to KILL a rose.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check with HMF and see if they'd like it. Kim

I can't count how many times I have planted a new rose or transplanted a rose and saw it just sit there and appear to do nothing for the whole season.

Then the next season, it was almost as though I was growing a different plant because it was a vigorous, healthy and productive rose. You are so right about patience.

Smiles,
Lyn

Here's a question. Do you allow the old leaves to stay on the plant or do you remove them at a later time? Some years ago a master gardener told me at a large flower&garden show that those kinds of leaves will never be repaired back to healthy green by the plant and should be removed as they will just be a stress on the plant as it tried to put energy into supporting them. I always just leave them until the plant goes into winter and them I cut them off. Is the plant better off with those imperfect leaves once it has made many more new ones ?

The plant produces all the foliage it requires to shade itself from too intense light; to provide itself with sufficient transpiration to draw necessary nutrient laden water from the root tips to the cane tips and to produce the food it requires through photosynthesis. Once each individual leaf outlives its purpose, the plant sheds it. Whether by reabsorbing the sap until it falls due to the death of the leaf, or because of suppressed immune response permitting fungal attack. But, as long as the leaf has SOME green in it, it continues producing food to support the entire plant. Once it no longer produces more food than it requires, the plant sheds it.

I believe it's the same with insect damaged foliage. As long as there is enough green tissue remaining, it is generating food through photosynthesis. If it requires more than it provides, the plant dumps it.

It's the same with "blind shoots". The leaves perform several functions. If the plant produces shoots which only serve its biological needs without flowering (ovulation), it's because the plant NEEDS those functions to enable it to successfully ovulate.

Why do we continue believing that we know better than the plant?

Now, if the person's focus is on having the plant look florist perfect all the time, then removing foliage the plant deems perfectly good, perfectly useful, makes sense to that mind set. But, "thinking like the plant", if the plant allows it to remain, it's because it is useful to the entire organism. Once it has to be "supported" without supporting the plant, it's outta there. Kim

We want what we want when we want it.

:-(

Jeri

ha

well I suppose much of that attitude could be remedied. I got a lesson in how the rest of the US views "hurry up Californians" when I traveled across to the east this summer. A man in North Carolina told me we were all on 'survival mode' out here.

Jeri

Until the planted rose has a chance to put feet under it, produce the root system required to support the top growth expected of it, is there any wonder it doesn't please? Add the necessary time the beneficial fungi and bacteria which establish themselves in "happy" situations which can help to reduce, even prevent disease and some insect issues, and it becomes even more apparent how premature we can be in condemning a rose before giving it a fair break by getting it into the ground properly, where it is best suited and leaving it alone to mature and establish itself.

A thoughtful friend really wanted me to have a plant of a florist rose she felt I would enjoy. It honestly wasn't something I was drawn to for garden or breeding use, but it was important to her, so I graciously accepted. It wasn't very impressive in a gallon pot. It didn't flower much and the foliage wasn't very attractive. Plus, it was rather prone to black spot in that pot, so I still wasn't favorably impressed. I figured upsizing it into a two gallon to keep it alive would be the only fair thing to do, so I repotted it. I shouldn't have been surprised when new foliage began pushing all over the plant and it began flowering much more impressively. And, the black spot appeared to be reduced. Increasing it to a five gallon has really allowed it to show me how much better a rose it can be than I had originally thought. The foliage is actually pretty nice for an unspoiled greenhouse type. The flowers are significantly better, lasting a very long time on the plant, probably a bit too long as they hang on long past their attractive period, but that's what a cut flower is meant to do. At this size of plant, it actually impressed me as possibly worth playing with in raising seedlings, and it accommodated me by being fertile both through pollen and setting a decent crop of seeds. Whether the seedlings will be of any value will take time to discover, but the improvement in the quality of the plant and my impressions of it are dramatic. As a band, I probably would have rated it as "not worth the effort to shovel prune." As a two gallon plant, I considered it as worth further evaluation. As a more mature, five gallon plant, it's definitely one I am willing to give soil space. It's ONLY taken me two years to get it this far. Kim

But I toughed it out--because the main reason I finally quit spraying was that I had acquired a pet duck & I just couldn't spray anymore with her slapping around bare-footed all the time.

Within a season the beneficial bugs & other fauna started catching up & by the next year everything seemed wonderfully healthy. We had tons of toads, lizards, dragonflies & other beneficial creatures living in the yard. Many birds, of a wide variety. It was like living in the country even though this was a city yard. People who visited always remarked on the lush plants & the variety of wildlife.

It was rough at first watching slugs & grasshoppers have their way but the wait was worth it.

The pots are so hot today, even in the shade they feel very warm. I was laying boards in front of many of them that I did not already have umbrellas over. I think having cool roots helps them out so much.