"Theo" wrote in message
s.com...
Jim,

First some disclaimers.

Roses do not like to be in containers.

I'm going to have to disagree on this one. Roses like to be in containers
just fine as long as the roses are are the right variety, the containers are
big enough, they get enough water, and the feeding schedule is about twice
what it would be in the ground. The frequent waterings leach out the
nutrients rapidly, and thus they need to be constantly replaced. I
recommend a water soluble fertilizer used half strength twice as often. As a
rule, hybrid teas are poorer choices for pot culture than are floribundas,
polyanthas, chinas, teas, or miniatures. They just get too tall in relation
to the pot size provided, unless you are planting everything in 24" pots.


Growing them in containers is a painstaking
careful process. As you have seen decline
can come quickly and recovery impossible.

That said I grow many roses in pots both indoors
and out doors. Here's my advice.

1. Replace soil immediately. While you got conflicting info
the soil is not good for your rose.

Oh yeah, I agree with this one. That RosePride crap has an insecticide in
it that builds up and stunts roses in the long term. Ones in pots can get a
toxic dose pretty quickly because it isn't that water soluble.

2. Roses don't seem to like the miracle grow mixes. They like
some actual soil they can sink their teeth into. A 1/2 peat
1/2 Hummus mix is perfect.

I disagree with this. Soiless mixes are the best over time. They drain
better, and retain water beter. Peat has hydrophobic qualities that make it
almost impossible to wet once it ever dries out, plus it's also hydrophyllic
and extremely soggy when it is wet. When it's dry, you end up watering the
pot, and the water just runs through it, without ever actually moistening
the soil.

3. Never ever use chemical fertilizer in pots. If you absolutely must,
use the the time release pellet ortho stuff.

This is where I really disagree. The artificial climate of a pot *demands*
that you use chemical fertilizers. THere just aren't enough happy organisms
to break down organic fertilizers that well. As I said above, a water
soluble fertilizer at half strength twice as often keeps them well fed and
you don't lose too many nutrients from leaching because of the more constant
supply. This is what many of the good quality nurseries recommend for their
baby roses in pots, and it's what I do and it works great.

4. Get a bottle of fish emulsion and use @ half strength.

I like fish emulsion on roses in the ground, but, well, it's awful stinky
for container roses that are close to your entrance way or on a patio where
you congegate often.

5. Keep the roots cool w/ insulation or shading. Rose
roots do not like to be warm. Their ideal tempreture
is 40-50F so keep that in mind. Keep as cool as possible.

Agree somewhat. Roses in pots do benefit from mulching to keep them cool,
but the ideal soil temperature, as it is for most woody ornamentals, is
around 60-70. In fact, with roses in the ground, you don't begin to see
substantial new growth until the soil temps do warm up to at least 50. Many
many areas of the country that are extremely warm do quite well in growing
containerized roses with soil temps well into the 90's. A little afternoon
shade, some mulch, and frequent watering are the keys.



Having said all of that, I have to say that Mister Lincoln is one of the
poorer candidates for pot culture. It's simply too large to be easily
handled and gets top heavy for all but the largest pot. It's also one of
the stingier of the scented reds, and for a pot, I'd want a rose that was in
constant bloom. Now Sunbright is an excellent choice. It's disease
resistant, not too big, and it's a frequent bloomer.

I do have to ask where you purchased these roses. The source can sometimes
make or break. And, have you experienced any freezing weather once these
were potted? When you potted them, did you mound the canes with mulch or
spray them with WiltPruf? Bare roots do not have any feeder roots with
which to hydrate the plant, and if you don't keep them from drying out, you
experience symptoms just as you are describing. The initial flush of growth
is from the stored starch in the canes, and then the plant doesn't have
enough roots to sustain it, so it begins dying back.

Sunflower
MS 7b where it was 85 today, and all of the potted roses needed water for
sure.