"torgo" wrote:
I just returned from a work trip to central Florida. On the
way home, I stopped by several nurseries and garden
centers searching for roses from Nelson's, which uses
Fortuniana root stock.

One place I visited had J&P roses that were identified
as Fortuniana root stock in addition to the ones from
Nelson's. I was curious, since I had never seen or heard
that J&P used Fortuniana before. The manager explained
that the J&P roses distributed in Florida came from
a Florida based grower / supplier.

Almost certainly. It's a very Florida thing.

Dr. Malcolm Manners uses Fortuniana rootstock when he
grafts roses. He's at Florida Southern U. in Lakeland. You
get that far south in Florida, and nematodes become a major
problem. Heck, even some soils here in the north of the
peninsula are way infested. Fortuniana seems to have
tolerance for nematodes sufficient to keep the plant alive.

Interestingly, the only found rose I know of from peninsular
Florida is known as "Alachua Red" and was found in this
county (Alachua County, big surprise). We're sort of in
nematode country, sort of not. Nematodes don't like clay
in the soil, nor a lot of organic matter. Mulching with wood
chips (not a rot-resist wood like bald-cypress, either) and
letting them rot into the soil is supposed to help.

I have a lot of cheapo roses on Dr. Huey here, but most are
still in pots. I plan to take cuttings of all of them in case the
rootstock succumbs once they are in actual Floridian dirt
rather than a soil-less mix based on Canadian sphagnum.
I buy a lot of own-root roses but those discount-store Dr.
Huey ones are so damned tempting...and disappointing at times,
I must admit. A few I bought early this year are already dead,
despite being potted up rather than just stuck in the ground.

Mark.