Question
Dear Henry,

First of all, I want to thank you to give me constant help for my roses. I appricate your timely responses and knowledgable answers.

Yes, I did ask same questions to experts I could find here. I didn't think about that too much at the beginning. It's same as having a patient home and you urgently need doctors whoever you can find. In case to show the same quesions in public, I chose to ask one publicly and one privately. I did this at radom. I wanted to get as much suggestion as possible to save my roses. I knew different people would give me different answers from various aspects.

I got the answers all timely.I compared them, and practiced them. It proved that your suggestions were more reliable. Furthermore, you told me the theory, helped me understand "WHY", and willing to accept scientific way. Otherwise, I just mentally refused to move my mini roses out and will finally kill them by my incorrect spoil way.

Last night, I left them outside under some bushes. Thanks god, it's warm last night, and today they are still outside. I didn't water them in the morning (I haven't got your asnwer about why their bottom leaves turned yellow.I am afraid that too much water rotted their roots and caused some bottom leaves turned to yellow.) They will have lots of sun today. It will reach 80F. Now I worry about they will be thirty again. I dare not water them in the evening. The tapes about gardening I borrowed from library say "never water in the evening, it will cause root disease and bring bugs". Although I took  risk and watered them one time in the late afternoon early this week because I saw them were sick.

I prepared good gardening soil already. Based on your suggestion, I am going to plant them in the yard tomorrow.

When is the best time to do it? Morning or afternoon or evening after sunset?

Sould I add some fertilizer in the soil? Shouldn't I fertilize it after Auguest 15? I bought the bag soil 6 moths ago, still ok to use?

I should plant them under full sun or at shade place? My yard has a big tree,which can offer some shade (it's not so shady now) and lots lots of place with full sun. But the place where has full sun, will be windy (I guess so, because there is nothing to barrer).

I have an old rose bush. It was planted at the corner of the house under the roof. I noticed that it didn't bloom this year. It has half day sun and I guess it is not enough. I want to move it to a sunny place, where it can have a whole day sun. Can i move it this weekend too?

One more question. How can I tell that my roses go dormant or die?

Any other things should I pay attention before starting to dig?

I am looking forward to getting your precious help and  working in the yard tomorrow!

Sincerely
Lena

Answer
Thank you for your kind words, Lena.  I appreciate of course that you want all the possible advice you can get.  It's so important to share this good information with as many people as we can.  There is a lot of bad advice out there and this Gardening business can be overwhelming at times.

Watering is tricky business.  Let's start with that problem.

Incorrect watering causes leaves to yellow and die, especially lower leaves.  Surprise, surprise!

It's VERY hard to water a Rose in a pot right.  The root system is artificially contained in a very small space with nothing good in the soil to grow with.

Don't water your Rose with cold water, or any plant for that matter.  You probably were very careful not to do that, but for the benefit of the peanut gallery, cold water is a no no when watering all plants.  Room temperature or even lukewarm water is best.

As for the time of day to do that, the general advice says don't water in the dark because you provide the perfect cultural requirements for mold spores when you do that.  Blackspot and mildew result.  Early morning, when the leaves that are splashed with water can dry out quickly, is very good, but afternoon or even a warm early evening will be good too if the leaves dry out before it gets dark and cold.  Just for future reference.

The sun is really necessary for any Rose to do well.  Shade asks for trouble.  Shade does not allow all the energy needed to build a Rose.

Your Mini Rose needs a bit of shelter, but the best thing to do, I think, is to mulch it carefully for protection.  It will look awfully ugly during the winter.  But in the spring, when you remove the mulch, you will definitely have a living Rose to tend to all summer.

I would avoid fertilizer.  Stir in a LOT of Bone Meal.  It slowly releases a gentle dose of Phosphorous which is just what the roots need all winter.  Very important to protect from wind this first winter.  Mulch or even pick up one of those basket wires that you put over the Rose and cover with dead leaves, grass and soil to insult from wind and cold.  Ugly, yes.  Just temporarily.

The soil must be drained very effectively.  Hopefully you added a substantial amount of organic matter to improve the tilth and microbial life under there.  Earthworms will be an asset for this next spring.  We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

In the spring you must add a nice dose of Compost Tea.  I will tell you how to make that when we get there.  You have enough to worry about for now.

If you have time, move your old Rose now.  The new site should be well amended with manure, bone meal, humus and anything else you can find before you put it in.  This is hard work.  Are you up for all of this?

Again, a good mulching will protect it from the wind.  You'll get used to it.  It's not hard.  Much easier than transplanting, I'll tell you that.

No fertilizer.  You want them to go to sleep.  Fertilizer will wake them up.  Your troubles will be really big then.

There is alas no way to tell a dead Rose from a living one without waiting for spring.  The deader they look in winter, though, the better off you are.  You want a Rose that's dormant as a doornail.  It will adjust, and it will readjust in warmer weather.  Mulching is the key right now as I don't know how bad this winter will be.  Unexpected frigid temperatures will hit a Rose over the head and kill it given the chance.  It takes one deep freeze to do that.  Be prepared.