"Scopata Fuori" wrote in message ...
"Michelle J Jordan" wrote in message
...
I am new to the mini-rose scene and am having horrid luck with them. Have
now managed to *kill* my 4th one.

I've killed many, many minis, and now have 25 out of 26 living, even
thriving. Let me tell you what I have *stopped* doing...

I don't bring them in the house anymore, after they have acclimatized to the
outdoors. That said, let me elaborate: your minis are most likely born and
bred inside a greenhouse, where they have enjoyed optimal light, humidity
and temperature. It is a shock to them, to be taken from that "womb" and put
into the harsher environment of the store, where they may be neglected for
days. By the time you purchase them and being them home, they may have used
up their reserves, and are not able to tolerate the additional stress of
"hardening off" into the new "climate."

I don't (ok, I still do, but I TRY to resist) buy them from stores, unless
it's a plant nursery.

I don't water over top of them, I direct a smooth flow of water onto the
soil around them over the roots.

I don't water them every day. I water them thoroughly about twice a week,
three times if it's been hot and the soil is very dry.

I don't let the soil get "crunchy" dry, ever.

I don't hesitate to spray them with whatever I am using on the "big guys,"
but I am very careful that I use the recommended mixture of chemical in
dilution, and I don't linger as long over their leaves.

This is what I have learned, by killing lots of them, to *definitely* do:

I make absolutely sure there is a good drainage hole, or more than one, in
the bottom of the pot, and that the pot is not sitting in standing water.

I immediately repotted them after I got them, into larger, eight to ten inch
diameter pots, filled with clean potting soil, a toss of bone meal, and a
handful of the good, black dirt from my rose garden. (Reason: because
eventually I will want to plant them in the ground, and I want them to be
"used" to my dirt, so they won't hesitate to dig new roots into their new
hole.)

I waited at least 10 days before adding additional fertilizers, to avoid
burning the raw roots.

I immediately watered them very well, with a Miracle Gro Quick-Start
solution (follow the recommended dilution!) after settling them into their
new pots, until the water began to run out the bottom drainage hole.

I put them outside for a few hours at a time, after bringing them home, to
gradually acclimatize them. After about a week, they were ready to stay
outside all the time. The time indoors, they spent in a south-facing window,
with an additional full-spectrum flourescent light directly above them, on
24 hours a day. They were able to adjust their cycles to the sunlight in the
window, and the full-spectrum light just gave them a little extra. It isn't
a "grower" light; I just bought a cheap "under cabinet" fixture for $7.99,
and replaced the bulb with a full-spectrum grow light from Home Depot. No
substitute for metal halide or sodium, but I am strictly an amateur, and on
an amateur's budget here.

I put them on the south side of the house, with an unobstructed view of the
sun.

I made sure they were stable enough that the pots could not tip over.

And that was about it.

Little things, but important ones. I've learned by killing 'em. Good thing
we don't have to learn quite so harshly, when raising kids or pets.


Scopata Fuori

Thanks for all the information on mini roses, Scopata, I have few
standard mini roses and they are treated same as the other ones. I
noticed they have done much better this year due to the drier weather
conditions. So there you are.
Thanks again.
Tulen.