The
following are questions we frequently get regarding our roses. If you
can't find the answer to your questions here please contact us.
The Fortuniana budded plant I received seems small relative to the bare
root roses I have ordered in the past.
Bare root roses are
field grown plants usually budded onto Dr. Huey rootstock. They are
generally 18-24 month old plants. Dr Huey understock plants refrigerate
well, and can be stored under refrigeration for long periods of time.
Fortuniana rootstock plants 18-24 months old have enormous fibrous
root systems and do not refrigerate well. Therefore they must be
shipped potted and not bare root. If we waited until they were
18-24 months old they would have to be in 3 gallon pots. Most of the Fortuniana budded plants we sell are less
than one year old. While they are initially smaller they will soon
outgrow and outperform their Dr. Huey budded counterpart.
I have a wonderful old rose in my yard. I don't know where to find another
one and it looks like it is dying. Can you make me another one if I send you
a cutting? How much does it cost and how do I go about sending it to you?
I love to bud old roses that are no longer in
commerce. I’m trying to” reintroduce” some wonderful older roses like
President Macia, Emily, & Casino on fortuniana stock. If you don’t know what
the variety is that’s ok too. Don’t send any patented roses, I cannot
legally reproduce patented roses without permission. Don’t wait till your
plant is on deaths door to try to take cuttings. Find a healthy stem that
has recently finished blooming. Cut it as long as possible and remove the
leaves. Wrap it into a wet paper towel and place it in a zip lock bag. Be
sure to label it and mail it to me. If I get them to take, I’ll be happy to
send you one for $20.00 plus the shipping.
I just received my
shipment from you. What should I do with the plants now? Should I plant them
in the garden right way or should I put them in bigger pots and let them
grow up a bit more first?
When you receive a plant from us, get it out into the sun as soon
as possible. Our roses are grown outside on benches in the full sun, no
green houses, no shade, no sun screen. They are fully acclimated and fully
rooted. If you want more roots before you plant them, pot them into a
three-gallon pot with some good potting mix and some timed release
fertilizer and they should have roots to the bottom of the pot in about six
to eight weeks. Just make sure that they get plenty of water. Otherwise, our
roses are ready to plant right away.
I've heard that Fortuniana grafted roses shouldn't be pruned as severely
as Dr. Huey grafted bushes. How should they be pruned?
We prune our roses here in West Palm Beach Florida in the spring.
Which for us is in February. Our rule of thumb is to prune no more than
two thirds of the bush. If you live in the north where your roses
experience a period of dormancy, do not prune them in the fall, and be
sure to winter protect them as much as possible. Do your pruning in the
spring after the last frost. You don’t want to cut them as hard as Dr.
Huey or Multiflora rootstock roses because of fortuniana’s large fibrous
root system. The Huey or Multiflora rootstocks produce carrot like tap
roots with some stringy roots coming off the main roots. They don’t hold
nearly as much water as the large fibrous shallow root system found on
Fortuniana plants. Fortuniana root systems are able to grow in poor
sandy soil because they grow large shallow roots that can catch more
water and nutrients. Imagine what they can do in a well amended loamy
rose bed.
When can you ship roses to me? The bare root guys only want to ship in the
spring. What is you policy on shipping?
We ship roses year round. While we pack our roses very carefully,
we have had some roses freeze in route in the dead of winter, so you must
keep that in mind when ordering. It may be balmy in Southern California but
your roses may freeze in the back of a UPS truck driving through Kansas, or
at the airport loading dock in South Dakota.
How should I feed my new rose bushes?
Any good feeding program will work, but I have had very good luck with a
"once a year program" developed by Johnny Becnel, one of the pioneers at
promoting of fortuniana grafted exhibition roses. I mix this formula
directly into the planting hole soil when I plant new plants. It is as
follows:
The Johnny Becnel Once a Year Fertilizer Program.
Move mulch, add:
2 cups fish meal
1 cup 8-9 mo. Timed release
fertilizer
2 tbs blood meal
½ cup alfalfa meal
½ cup Epsom salts (actually 3 times
per year)
½ cup dolomite lime
½ cup milorganite
½ cup gypsum pellets
1 cup ashes from his fireplace
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