Mini Rose Update. 7 March 2024

 Here an update on the mini rose plant (Kordana roses) that I repotted and separated last month.  On nice days, I move these outside, otherwise they are in sunroom under LEDs.  I've pruned most of the tops back a little more, once I saw them growing with some vigor.  That's to give lower branching and more bushiness.  I water with a Schultz liquid houseplant food designed to give a tiny amount of plant food with each watering.

Individual plants.  Almost all of the leaves on this one are new.

And another, more of a mix between old and new.  It got a little pruning of the top before this photo, so lost a little new growth.

They are thriving.  All of the red-ish tinge and dark green growth is new.  Most of the original leaves died off and I removed most of them.  These plants are sold to be a decoration for a while, or a gift, not for the home plant person or gardener to grow.  Their growth conditions are very different from the home.  They are grown in vast greenhouses, under LED lights at special wavelengths, in soil and fertilizer designed for their irrigation systems and shipping.  They are meant to be enjoyed for a bit, then discarded.   I'm sure they are even bred to excel and thrive in those special conditions, not the home or garden.  Still, sometimes we can adapt plants to our conditions and sometimes they do very will, so why not play?

One thing I think is absolutely key, is to get them out of their original growth medium quickly.  That's designed for greenhouse irrigations conditions, misting, travel.  Not for a home set-up.  It dries out very quickly, so the line between damp and desert - dry is very narrow.  Removing the old medium and planting them into a good quality potting soil helps even out the moisture holding capacity and better buffered against extremes.

While I was at Bi-Mart, I saw a rack of micro roses outside, full sun, marked down for sale or to be disposed of.  Most were at a crispy stage.  I found this one, wilted but not crispy.  It wasn't too bad, and had some buds.   I cut off dead flowers, soaked it, removed dead leaves.  In a week, the remaining buds began to open.

These are sold without names, so that's a wild guess.  Comparing with others on line, I think this one might be Daniela but I really don't know.  It was just a couple of dollars, something to experiment with.

Then I saw this one at Safeway.  Much richer red and more classic flower shape.  I bought it too.

I'm actually downsizing my garden. Not planning to start a new collection.  Still, it's fun to play a little and see what happens.  They may go into a patio pot, a larger container, or the garden.  Or all of the above.