Cindi ...
Yes, it normally cools down at night, but during these drought years, it doesn't start to cool down until after dark ... 9 pm. It can be in the high 90s by 9 am during my summer months.
I am thinking with your summer rains and boiling pots, you might want to get one of those small canvas garden gazebos or umbrellas to shelter your pots from the rains:
http://www.amazon.com/Gazebos-...
You may be able to plant your roses out sooner than I can because you do have good soil.
Also, potting soil that is perfect for my arid climate would be far too heavy for your more humid climate. (note ... I avoid potting soils with a lot of peat in that peat, if it dries out, repels water.)
>>>I was reading through a forum on propagation and one person pointed out that he kept his newly rooted roses in pots until the roots could "compete" with other roots in the soil. Is that why so many people pot young plants? To give them their own soil space so roots can spread farther, sooner?
Maybe some people think that way, but I don't
I think of the root mass as the foundation of the plant. If the foundation is weak, then it cannot support the plant well.
When you receive a bare root rose, the root system is incomplete. It has the anchor roots, but the feeder roots are either missing due to machine harvest, man handling and shipping. That's why old rose literature always told us we had to water a newly planted rose daily. The root system was inefficient to provide for the plant until it had a chance to grow those roots. Anchor roots and feeder roots are differentiated and serve different functions for the plant.
The roots can't spread until they grow, so when you pop a bare root rose directly into the ground, it is not ready to grow. First the rose has to develop the feeder roots that provide both nutrients and moisture to the plant. They have to be developed sufficiently to be able to utilize the food created by photosynthesis. If they aren't there in sufficient quantity the rose can't help but be stressed.
So, it isn't just a matter of root competition.
Re: planting out body bag roses. I think if you could find a way to allow them to rebuild their root mass until it is fully functional, you would lose fewer of them.
To me, growing a good root mass before planting them out ... even for other plants ... ups my chance for success. I hate to lose a plant because I wasn't patient enough.
Your soil is to die for, but even with good soil and a friendly climate, allowing a plant to build a good foundation gives it the tools to succeed.
A newly planted rose is considered a juvenile plant. Young plants are more vulnerable to anything that may cause stress to the plant. With a good root foundation, it is better able to with stand those stresses.
You mentioned "dry soil" in one of your posts. A water stressed rose can take up to 7 months to recover. Of course it depends on the rose.
Another item for food for thought is the thickness of your mulch. If it is too thick, it will inhibit oxygen from getting down to the soil bacteria and they will not be able to perform their function in the soil food web as efficiently. Study of the soil food web is fascinating.
I have had to change my mulching practices due to the drought and go to wood chips. To compensate for the possibility of that material robbing the soil of nitrogen, I give the roses a dose of calcium nitrate in spring. Seems to work. I have observed a difference in plant vitality.
I, too, avoid a lot of companion planting simply because I don't want to mess with the roots. The feeder roots are located near the top of the soil. Every time you break up those feeder roots to plant something in with the roses, you are messin' with the roots of the rose.
I think you are wise to be more selective about the roses you plant going forward. I stopped being in the collector's mode years ago and concentrated on the roses that would do well in my climate. It has made the work in the garden a lot easier.
Cindi, there ARE so many variables, no one knows it all.
I hope this helps you make more informed decisions about your garden.
Smiles,
Lyn
