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Oct 14, 2013 6:22 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Elza
Salaspils, Latvia
I've been keeping a pot with few mini roses on my urban (balcony) garden over summer, but now when the climate is turning colder and the first frosts have already fallen, I've moved it inside. My question is quite basic. What should I do with the plants? Should I let them be as they are or sould I cut them and keep in some dark/dry place? I know little this and that about field rose overwintering, but have no knowledge what so ever what to do with ones in a pot. Any advice would be highly appreciated. Thank you.
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Avatar for porkpal
Oct 14, 2013 6:28 AM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member Keeper of Poultry I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Keeps Horses
Roses Plant Identifier Farmer Raises cows Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
Welcome to All Things Plants, Greyghost! I am afraid I can't help you as I do not grow any roses in pots, but I'm sure someone here will have useful advice.
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Oct 14, 2013 7:26 AM CST
Name: Debra
Garland, TX (NE Dallas suburb) (Zone 8a)
Rescue dogs: Angels with paws needi
Dragonflies Dog Lover Bookworm I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Photography Bee Lover
Plays in the sandbox Butterflies Region: Texas Garden Sages I sent a postcard to Randy! Charter ATP Member
Welcome, Elza. Smiling

Zuzu @zuzu or Sue @CalifSue are probably the best ones to ask. I would also post the question in the Ask ATP forum.
http://garden.org/apps/ask/
It’s okay to not know all the answers.
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Oct 14, 2013 9:10 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Elza
Salaspils, Latvia
Thank you for the warm greetings and suggestions of further advisory. I just hope to get this cleared before my possibly drastically wrong actions make this situation turn lethal.
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Oct 14, 2013 9:57 AM CST
Name: Toni
Denver Metro (Zone 5a)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Birds Garden Ideas: Master Level Salvias Garden Procrastinator Irises I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Charter ATP Member Xeriscape Region: Colorado Roses Cat Lover The WITWIT Badge
I wish I could help, but I don't do anything in pots. I could help if it was inground.. but pots? Way beyond my meager brains. Welcome to ATP though!!

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!
Roses are one of my passions! Just opened, my Etsy shop (to fund my rose hobby)! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Tweet...
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Oct 14, 2013 1:13 PM CST
Moderator
Name: Zuzu
Northern California (Zone 9a)
Region: Ukraine Charter ATP Member Region: California Cat Lover Roses Clematis
Irises Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant Identifier Garden Sages Plant Database Moderator Garden Ideas: Master Level
I don't think you should keep them dry in a dark place. That's a good way to overwinter tropical plants, but an indoor rose should be kept as close as possible to a bright sunny window.
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Oct 14, 2013 1:52 PM CST
Name: Cindi
Wichita, Kansas (Zone 7a)
Charter ATP Member Beekeeper Garden Ideas: Master Level Roses Ponds Permaculture
Peonies Lilies Irises Dog Lover Daylilies Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I agree with Zuzu. As long as the pots are large enough for them to keep growing, if you have a sunny window, they should be able to hang on until spring. Insects may be a problem, and dry air can make insects infestations worse, so be prepared to shower the leaves off occasionally.
I have a friend from Latvia who says she grew pansies year round there! Wish we could do that!
She also had incredible roses and clematis there.
Welcome!
Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
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Oct 14, 2013 2:11 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Elza
Salaspils, Latvia
Thanks for the advice, but now I'm encountering a great dilemma. After Debra's advice I re-posted the same cry for help in /ask/ and fellows over there advise me to move it out side. Conditions in my flat are not the most suitable for plants (it's hot and dry over winter) and the best spots are already taken by other plants. At the moment I think I am going to try and keep it outside during winter, while hoping for the best. It's been looking sadder by days since I moved it inside. But maybe it's supposed to.. Anyway this is how it looks at the moment.

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Oct 14, 2013 2:14 PM CST
Name: Dora
Calgary (Zone 3a)
Bulbs Winter Sowing Seed Starter Roses Lilies Clematis
Cat Lover Region: Canadian Enjoys or suffers cold winters Garden Ideas: Level 1
My experiences with overwintering mini roses indoors have not gone well. They tend to succumb to invisible pests, I think because is drier in the house, and they are weaker because they haven't had as much light. They need about 16 hours of light per day, so they are also better off if you have a light system.

How cold does it get in Latvia? Could you insulate them by burying them in a larger container outdoors? I think you could put them in a dark dry place if it were also cold enough that they go into dormancy. It's my understanding that roses need some dormancy in order to set buds properly the following year.

I'm in zone 3 and minis are often not hardy here. The last couple of years I've dug a hole close to the house, taken the roses out of the containers once dormant, shaken the dirt off, and buried them in peat moss, leaves, dirt and a pot turned over top. Then I dig them up in spring and start them in pots under lights and with fresh soil indoors. It helps if I soak them first. They go outside as soon as it is warm enough to do so. In the past I've done this in February or March, once the ground has thawed (this spot next to the house often thaws early during our Chinooks) and I think I should do it a month or so later because they don't tend to do well if they have to stay indoors for too long.

I'm pondering whether I should dig up my minis that are in the ground and treat them this way, because the survival rate is much better, and growth is faster than the ones I leave in the ground.
Dora
Last edited by dorab Oct 15, 2013 5:03 PM Icon for preview
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Oct 14, 2013 2:34 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Elza
Salaspils, Latvia
We are quite up north (55 to 58 N latitude, which on a map places us on around the same level as central, slightly S Canada). Temperatures mostly are around or little above -10 C, but can drop till -25 C. Days during winter are extremely short and mostly cloudy.
Since I do not own a piece of land I am planing to store them on my 3rd floor balcony which faces S/SE. Probably in a container with extra soil and Sphagnum moss.
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Oct 14, 2013 2:38 PM CST
Name: Debra
Garland, TX (NE Dallas suburb) (Zone 8a)
Rescue dogs: Angels with paws needi
Dragonflies Dog Lover Bookworm I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Photography Bee Lover
Plays in the sandbox Butterflies Region: Texas Garden Sages I sent a postcard to Randy! Charter ATP Member
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It’s okay to not know all the answers.
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Oct 14, 2013 8:09 PM CST
Name: Lyn
Weaverville, California (Zone 8a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Level 1
Welcome to ATP.

Roses simply are not indoor plants, even when they are placed in front of a window that gets a lot of sun. The intensity of light of the winter sun is less than in other seasons and will not provide the plant with enough light to serve its needs.

I do know people who have successfully over wintered roses indoors, but they had to use grow lights to provide sufficient light for the plants.

The bigger issue is that hot and dry conditions are perfect for a spider mite infestation. Spider mites are one of the biggest problems in commercial greenhouses, so every plant they produce has the potential for an infestation. The people I know who have grown their roses inside wash the plants every other day to avoid an infestation. That's a lot of work.

Keeping your rose outside is really your best option. You might want to place it on the inside portion of your balcony, so that it can get some heat through the walls of your apartment. You do want to make sure that the plant does not dry out.

In the US, all minis are own root plants, but I have heard that in some countries the miniature roses are budded. If your plant is own root, it has a better chance of survival under the conditions you describe in your post. You might lose all of the top growth, but if the roots are still alive, your plant will come back. This is true even if the soil around the rose is frozen. Of course, it depends on the rose.

Studies have shown that roses will even continue to grow roots and come back with temps as low as -15F. Your -25C is about -13F. I would probably try a heat mat under the rose if temps dropped that low. At -10C, you are probably OK. That is +14F, so it is not quite as close to the borderline.

Insulating the plant is really a great way to go. It will provide a more consistent soil temperature between the day temps and night temps, which will avoid some of the stress created by fluctuating temperatures.

Photosynthesis slows down at +70F, +21C, which signals the rose to go dormant. If it is a repeat blooming rose, it will never go completely dormant because the genes which were introduced into the rose gene pool for repeat bloom also brought along the inability to go truly dormant. However, all cellular activity will slow down.

Since I have never grown roses in such a cold climate, what I am sharing with you in this post is "theory" based upon what I have studied about roses and has not been tested by me.

Good luck with your rose.

Smiles,
Lyn
I'd rather weed than dust ... the weeds stay gone longer.
Last edited by RoseBlush1 Oct 14, 2013 8:10 PM Icon for preview
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Oct 15, 2013 11:18 AM CST
Name: Toni
Denver Metro (Zone 5a)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Birds Garden Ideas: Master Level Salvias Garden Procrastinator Irises I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Charter ATP Member Xeriscape Region: Colorado Roses Cat Lover The WITWIT Badge
I've tried overwintering little roses in windows, but they always dry out 100% even with daily watering. I'd have to mist them in order to keep the leaves from turning into paper. Sometimes I can get them to come back by putting them in the ground outside in my mini bed, but that's a 25/75% chance of success IME.
Roses are one of my passions! Just opened, my Etsy shop (to fund my rose hobby)! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Tweet...
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Oct 15, 2013 6:54 PM CST
Name: James
Fabens,TX (Zone 8a)
Greenhouse Hibiscus Plumerias Roses
Rose Blush, I enjoyed reading your answer so much. So very well written with great information, James
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Oct 15, 2013 7:16 PM CST
Name: Lyn
Weaverville, California (Zone 8a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Level 1
Thank you, James. It's fun sharing what I have learned over the years with my obsession with roses.

Smiles,
Lyn
I'd rather weed than dust ... the weeds stay gone longer.
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Oct 15, 2013 7:38 PM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member Keeper of Poultry I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Keeps Horses
Roses Plant Identifier Farmer Raises cows Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
We are lucky to have several very experienced rose enthusiasts in our midst who don't mind sharing their knowledge - a great opportunity for us to learn from one another's questions!
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Oct 22, 2013 5:39 PM CST
Name: Joanne
Calgary, AB Canada (Zone 3a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Region: Canadian Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Roses
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Annuals Container Gardener Vegetable Grower Winter Sowing Enjoys or suffers cold winters
My vote is to plant them in the ground outside. I also recommend that you remove it from the pot, given the dry conditions. If you mulch the rose, most of the stems will remain green and you will have less winter kill. All my potted (container) roses spend the winter in the veggie garden.
Thumb of 2013-10-22/Joannabanana/3485e3


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Thumb of 2013-10-22/Joannabanana/479286
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Oct 22, 2013 7:23 PM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member Keeper of Poultry I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Keeps Horses
Roses Plant Identifier Farmer Raises cows Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
Elza lives in an apartment with no access to an out door garden...
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Oct 23, 2013 9:17 AM CST
Name: Joanne
Calgary, AB Canada (Zone 3a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Region: Canadian Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Roses
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Annuals Container Gardener Vegetable Grower Winter Sowing Enjoys or suffers cold winters
Thanks for the clarification Porkpal. I missed that detail.
I really don't think that it would survive in a container outside with the low temperatures mentioned. -25ºC is -13F and -30ºC is -22ºF. Having the pot on a balcony is more exposed as well.

I have had all my container roses die with -20ºC. from an unexpected cold snap in the fall. Even though the ground freezes thru the winter, the ground temperature will be much warmer than the air temperature. Especially if there is snow cover.

I've heard that you can overwinter container plants that are said to be hardy TWO zones colder than yours. The only plants that I had success with is an Ostrich Fern and a small evergreen tree.
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Oct 23, 2013 9:31 AM CST
Name: Toni
Denver Metro (Zone 5a)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Birds Garden Ideas: Master Level Salvias Garden Procrastinator Irises I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Charter ATP Member Xeriscape Region: Colorado Roses Cat Lover The WITWIT Badge
What about using an old aquarium as like a terrarium? The sun would warm up the glass & make it like a miniature greenhouse, especially if she could use something tight-fitting on the top, like an additional piece of glass? She could get a 20gal or a 29gal (bigger would be better, of course), fill 1/2 of it with peat moss or something light like that it wouldn't be too painful to pick up, then put the pots nestled in the peat moss? Plus, keeping the humidity wouldn't be too bad then 'cuz she could just put some cool water in it once a week and let it basically steam on warmer or sunny days.

I've done this myself and I was able to keep a mini rose alive for a winter. But I kept this inside the house and not outside on the porch, so the temperatures were not freezing. I planted the rose the next spring outside and then we got a freak freeze that killed all new growth. Poor thing didn't stand a chance.
Roses are one of my passions! Just opened, my Etsy shop (to fund my rose hobby)! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Tweet...

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