Neal,
It does sound like you are safe. The long deep roots are the roses anchor roots. Putting "food" down there really doesn't feed the rose. It just makes us feel good.
Plants are a complex community where each part has a function to serve the whole. When roses are butchered to fit the packaging, the first thing they are going to do is grow those anchor roots and the feeder root lost during handling.
If you don't see anything happening with the top growth, that is not necessarily bad news. The plant is doing first things first. When you do see new top growth, you know the plant has developed the resources to benefit from feeding and is now creating leaves to feed itself.
Old research shows it takes 35 perfect leaves to create a bloom. To get those blooms, the plant has to have a working root system and leaves to provide food through photosynthesis and feed the roots as nature intended. If we work with the plant, it will be a stronger plant and far more satisfying to the gardener.
Smiles,
Lyn
