I don't understand it, either. I put bunches of minis into black plastic pots late this summer and they all grew like weeds. Also my rooted minis are tiny things that I put in 1 gallon pots, and they grow well. I don't understand why your smaller pot size would present a problem.

What are you using for potting mix? The first thing that comes to my mind is either too much fertilizer, or a mix that doesn't work for what you are growing. I am using a very light potting mix that drains fast, and watered daily in hot weather. There are about 10 of my rootlings in my sunroom growing well, and they seem to need water every other day (the rest are outdoors, tough love!). What amendments are you using? Are you using a fertlizer, if so what is it? Are your pots freely draining? If you list all the details you can think of, maybe someone on the board can spot the problem.

I am also suspicious about them 'not liking being disturbed'. I have not noticed any problems with repotting or transplanting. It makes me think & hope that there is one small detail that will change your luck.

I potted 2" minis in 6" pots. I put little rocks at the bottom, then perlite, then used Miracle Gro Moisture Control Potting Soil and then used Miracle Gro tansplant shock and then two weeks later miracle go rose fertilizer on a schedule. I even got a water meter. Last spring got really warm fast. The soil held water moderately well and then after a month seemed to drain through really fast. I watered when temps hit the 90's and then the 100's in the early am once a day and kept the trays empty of water after an hour. One by one they yellowed up and then died. I had one climber planted in a huge pot on another side of the house that did fine. It had come from a 4" pot. I put some of the other roses over in that area with it but they still died. When I didn't have much luck growing roses in the ground in the mountains years past I tried repeatedly growing in pots and I couldn't keep them alive either:( I'm going to try with a couple in the spring and try another method with anyone's help, I don't do it right, apparently:) I have two potted ones growing now, one was a gift and another I potted at night, I simply took some Kellog amendment soil and actually threw it into a 6" pot with the store bought rose I was given and this rose has thrived and grown all 100+ degrees all summer in the sun outside the dining room window. I didn't do and don't do anything for this rose but water it. I even forget to give it rose food when I do the ones in the ground! When we moved and I transplanted the potted climber it was happily growing in the pot and had sent out some pretty deep roots in the 3 months it was in there and it was 100 degrees when I did it. It sulked for a week or two and then it steadied and is doing fine now. It'll be two years I believe before I get anything out of it, It's a once blooming yellow climber and boy is it pretty when it does, clusters and clusters of roses!

Anyways, thanks for listening and trying to understand, but I just have a brown thumb for pots, I can even grow some houseplants and one of those good luck chinese plant but just not most mini roses in pots.... But, I am going to try, once more in the spring and I am going to try to take the two I do have through the winter and see if they come out in the spring, I don't know what to expect from them. Thanks for your help, Leslie

I looked up that potting mix, and it contains a plant food which may not be helping your rose-lings. Then were you adding rose food - at full strength or half or ?

Do you water enough that water drains out the bottom of the pot at each watering? This helps container plants by flushing out salts that build up.

If you are over-fertilizing (which seems quite possible) and not watering enough to flush the extra salts out, you could easily have a toxic accumulation of fertilizer salts in your pots.

I think you should try again - but simplify to the bare minimum. Use plain potting mix with no added plant food. Wait until they are well established before feeding them, then feed in very small, conservative amounts. My plant food bottle says 7 drops of liquid per gallon of water, I add only one drop per gallon or often none at all... I do not give my root-lings anything special to prevent shock at transplant time, they just get watered heavily (to remove air pockets) and that's it. Maybe a few days in a semi-shaded area if it's really hot out.

Maybe you are just trying tooooo hard to pamper them?

My new minis don't die, but for some odd reason, they sulk the first year. After a good spring start, they just sit for the rest of the summer. We are very hot here. So, I now don't sweat the first year. But--dying. That is something else. Not sure what the problem is.
Maybe give them partial shade?
Kathy

I second what Michelle said above. Over-fertilizing potted roses is the easiest mistake to make. I burned my roses this past June because I fertilized them with Miracle Gro (only half-strength) a week after I had used Bayer All-in-One on them, which contains a fertilizer. It was too much.

The moisture-retaining soil is a good idea, though. If you use any potting soil that says it has fertilizer in it, then don't add any fertilizer at all for at least 3-4 months.

You 100+ temps sound like a real stress for roses, too. Watering twice a day might even be appropriate. Just never let them stand in water for any length of time. That can be the kiss of death. I've killed roses when I didn't realize the drainage holes were somehow blocked up. But you seem aware of the need for drainage already. I understand the need to keep a porch or garden room floor clean, and hence the use of the trays, but they can be dangerous if you ever forget. Just curious; your rose that's thriving outsider your window, does it have a tray under it, or is it allowed to drain freely because it's not over a floor or anything like that?

I use Miracle Gro Moisture Control in pots. I don't have any problems, in fact, I'm having better success, but I don't add any fertilizers until they are actively growing. By that time, all of the fertilizers in the mix have been watered out. In the other thread, I noted the use of rocks in the bottom of the pots (don't do it) and the saucer to catch the water coming out of the post (don't do this either). I think they were overwatered, meter or no meter (I don't own a meter).

You all may have a point. I did dilute a tsp of miracle gro rose fertilizer in two gal of water and distribute between all dozen roses. I did water until the water ran freely out the pots and out the trays. The hotter it got I started watering twice a day. They did get shade partial hotest afternoon shade. But you are correct, I wasn't paying attention, Maybe the Miracle Gro moisture control soil did have fertilizer in it also. They were all very young little roses and all had stages of little buds and a few had blooms. I had all the roses up on racks and not just sitting on the floor. I'm answering these as they occur to me. We had an early summer, I remember wearing capris in April it was that warm that early this year. I give up on the meter also, I got it when the roses started yellowing and I thought I was watering them too much or maybe not enough... I wish I had found this forum last spring...The meter said they were wet and when I stuck my finger in found they were damp but the roots may have been wet.

However, I have been extremely busy with planting since getting the new house in July and when I was given this grocery store rose, with no ceremoney plopped it in a pot with just Kellogs dirt and not paid it any attention beyond watering it, it blooms and blooms, outside in a painted and glazed clay pot in full sun...Go figure. No rocks in the bottom, no perlite, no fertilizer, I forgot this one when I did because it's up on a plant stand outside the kitchen window. I water it and the water runs freely through it and the other larger potted rose and then I empty the trays underneath. No, I will go out today and remove the trays, I keep forgetting. I've got my grandkids staying off and on with me and I've been busy babysitting.

I need to take a picture of the larger potted rose and post here for you to see. The larger one's roots are exposed so much they look like small branches in the ground. I think it needs repotted and I'm afraid to do it with my lack of skill. We will get a frost in another month or so. I don't think it can make it through a frost with exposed roots like this unless I heap alot of dirt of it which will just wash off.

Thanks for your comments and help, when we're all through I intend to print them all out and in the spring get maybe 4 and try again this time with the small pots the right size. The forum never lets me repost again until someone comments though, I don't know how others do it.

So, plain potting soil, no perlite, no rocks and little pots for little minis.... Don't go away, I want to ask you how I should treat this mini rose please. I appreaciate all your help and comments. Leslie

It has been overcast since Sat. and I haven't watered since Sun and that was the last time I looked at these roses. Today they look like this. They have sticky little black spots all over them. Their leaves are turning yellow and brown and dropping off but the soil is moist.... But, they are still blooming. Notice the larger ones roots....What size pot should I repot it to? Thanks for any help you can give me. Again, you can click on each photo to enlarge it.

Hi, just a small clarification - I would use potting *mix* rather than potting *soil*. It should be fine to use your MG Moisture Control if you don't add fertilizer too soon.

Yes, that large mini is in dire need of repotting. The small one should benefit from a larger pot.

I would repot the larger one so that the new soil is at least an inch up the green part of the cane above the roots. And set it deep enough in the pot so that you have plenty of room to water AND so you can add more potting mix later as it settles. Repotting is easy, just keep it simple and things will be fine.

Thanks Michelle:) No idea what these black spots are that are sticky? I called it soil, but I'm pretty sure I got a potting mix, I spent so much for these roses from the mini nursery that knowing I was potting these I would have gotten the mix. I have bad non stop headaches and I go to fast talking and memory isn't the best sometimes, I blame it on the darvocet I take:) I will make a trip down to Lowes though and get just a plain mix no fancy stuff and just plain viny or plastic pots and no rocks after the holiday. At this time of year I think I'll just add a little miracle gro transplant shock after I do it and water and see how they go through the winter. I've never had a plant in a pot survive this long, much less wintered one. I do remember even here in the valley my roses will eventually loose their leaves and go dormant so I'll just take my cue on them from the minis in the ground. I think I'll also repot the smaller one because the soil is right up to the top of that one also, you think?

Thanks for your help and your comments, these are my experiments to make it or not and for next spring..
Leslie

Be cautious with applying the MG stuff for transplant shock. The MG site says it contains fertilizer. Feeding the rose before it's over the transplant shock would concern me. You will know it's over the transplant shock when it starts growing and stretching its legs. It's a very simple process, just be patient and give it time.

I don't know about black sticky spots. Someone from your area will be more help.

Yes, I would repot the smaller rose after you repot the larger one. It could go right into that terra cotta pot.

Cheers,
Michelle

Really Michelle, I've always done that with transplanting and never given it a thought. Guess I need new glasses. I can't see that fine print anymore. I won't do that then, I don't need new growth at this time. We're going to stay low 60's now and then continue down in temps, I don't want any tender new growth. Thanks for looking that up and mentioning it, I'll skip it and just transplant and water. I did both Merry Gro roses with it, we'll see on them.... I appreciate your help, have no idea what that sticky is, swear it wasn't there a couple of days ago. How's your weather now? Still warm or cooling off again? I've got a girlfriend I talk with lives in CO says it's warm also. Really weird weather this year. Thanks again, Leslie

I was looking for some other photos and found this one of all of the roses when I first planted them in pots. The did grow at first and flower. click on photo to enlarge. Leslie

I am currently growing all my minitures (30) in 7 gallon pots. When they are little I start them in 4" pots then move them to "squat pots" (wide and not very deep) and finally to the large pot. I don't start them in the large pots because it is too easy for them to become waterlogged. I don't use rocks in the bottom, or perlite, or trays. I've used MG moisture control but it isn't my favorite. I like to use Fafard 3B but it can be hard to find. It doesn't have any fertilizer in it. It contains peat moss, ground pine bark and some perlite.
I'm also wonder if you may have had some spider mite problems...you would have seen webbing, I'm sure.

The above flowers in pots didn't have spider mites, just flourished at first and then one by one yellowed and died. I'm going to try it in the spring again but start in smaller pots and just use vinyl or plastic pots. I had potted all of these as the miniture grower suggested with the excepting of the rocks at the bottom for drainage, that was my bright idea:) Apparently bad idea. This time I will also leave off the trays although I did dump the water out of the trays if the roses hadn't soaked up the water in an hour. I also think I triple did it with fertilizer, I planted them with Miracle Gro transplant Shock as well as it had something in the potting soil and two weeks later fertilized them with Miracle Gro rose fertilzer, so I tripled it. I loved them to death as well as potted them wrong. If I can grow them in the ground I am determined to try them in pots, however I have been failing at this for 20 some years and dozens of poor minis and no diseases or mites, just me....

I have about twenty mini's in pots starting at 10" and then move up to 22 or 24. I use Soil called Black Magic from the nursery with no additives. I use packing peanuts in the bottom for drainage. I water until the water starts to drain out but I do check the soil down about 2 inches before. They get 6 hours of sun until it gets hot. Haven't lost any yet and hope to add some more. I too use MG half strength. Don't give up they are really tough little guys.

i have just bought 18 mini roses, i have never tried to grow them before. i was going to pot them up in 3 gal pots until i could put them in the ground the potting mixture that i have has fertilizer in it and i was going to mix cow manure and compost with that. please help what do i need to do? i got them from mail order they came in those little starter pots

Charlene, if you move them to 3-gallon pots, don't add anything more to the pots except for the potting mix. Take the cow manure and compost and spread it over the place in the garden where you are going to eventually plant them and let that stay for a few weeks before planting. Then plant the minis in the ground. I sometimes wait until I see new roots coming out of the bottom of the 3-gallon (or 5-gallon) pot before I move them into the garden. I really try to not use potting mixes with added fertilizers, but sometimes that is difficult 'cause I really like Miracle Gro Moisture Control potting mix. Keep the soil moist but not wet and don't let it dry out. I don't add any additional fertilizer until after the first bloom of new plants.

There should have been instructions in the box, but if not, please take a look at the link below. Good info, except for the part about adding peat moss, that I don't recommend.

Here is a link that might be useful: Care of your Miniature Rose