Edith on Mini Roses

by Edith Isidoro-Mills -- I saw some cute miniature roses potted and dressed up with Valentine’s Day saucers.  If you received one for Valentine’s Day, you may be able to keep it alive for a few months indoors but I recommend you transplant it to your garden when the weather warms up and the rose bushes outdoors have started to leaf out.  In the meantime, you can keep that rose alive with special care. Roses grown indoors require more care than they do in the garden.  That’s because roses require;

• lighter conditions than can be found anywhere in your house besides a south facing window
• they dry out faster inside
• indoor humidity is less than outdoors
• air circulation is better outdoors

Here in Churchill County, if you received this rose for Valentine’s Day, you will likely have to continue to maintain this rose indoors for another two months or until you see the outdoor roses leafed out. Roses need direct sunlight for several hours a day and it is better if they can get at least eight hours.  South facing windows are probably the best location as long as they are not shaded.  If you don’t have a sunny south facing window you may need to get a grow light with a timer.  The reason for the timer is continuous light will cause them to stop blooming. One thing I noticed in the store display of miniature roses is that these roses were about to start wilting.  Roses in small pots need to be watered more frequently.  You may want to transplant your rose to another pot.  When you do transplant it, you most likely will find you have more than one plant.  This is because retailers want a full pot that looks nice in a store display.  These overly full pots need very frequent watering in order to keep them looking nice.  Plan on pulling these smaller plants a part and transplanting them to separate pots if this is the case. Even after you have these little rose bushes less crowded you will still have to water them almost daily.  Before watering them always check to see how wet the soil is.  If potting soil is dry more than an inch below the surface, it is time to water.  Apply water until you see water coming out the drain hole at the bottom. Roses need good air circulation but they also need adequate humidity.  We live in a dry climate and central heating makes our houses even dryer.  Try to place your rose in a location with good air circulation. Getting better air circulation may involve opening a window slightly on good weather days.  To maintain a more humid microclimate around the rose, either mist them periodically during the day or place them on a tray with water and rocks.  The rocks will hold the bottom of the pot out of the water so the roots don’t rot from being waterlogged. Once you see leaves opening on your outdoor roses, it’s time to move your indoor rose to the garden.  At this time, start placing the potted rose outside on the porch for a few hours every day to acclimate it to the outdoors. After a few days of periodic outdoor exposure, it is ready to move to the garden. Find a spot in your garden that gets good morning sun and may get some afternoon shade during the growing season.  Once transplanted to your garden you can treat it just like you would any of your other outdoor roses.  Most miniature roses are hardy in USDA zones 5-9.  I’ve always had good luck with miniature roses and found they will even bloom in the heat of the summer if I keep spent blooms trimmed off.       Never miss a meeting or community event – keep an eye on the community calendar at https://www.thefallonpost.org/events/ If you like what we’re doing, please support our effort to provide local, independent news and contribute to The Fallon Post, your online news source for all things Fallon.