Hi folks, Could someone please advise me on how to proceed with my first seedling? It is approx. 7" tall and growing quickly in a 4"pot. Should I repot to something larger? The seedling seems quite sturdy, considering it was upended off my prorch railing by my 7 year old, left out in a nor’easter, and still seems happy to grow. No sign of bloom, however. Can I fertilize, and if so, what do I use? Thanks for any imput you might have. Pam
Pam - I would repot to at least a gal pot now and than give it some mild organic (fish or liquid seaweed) fertilizer every time you water. This fertilizer liquid can be the water! Roses do best when they are rootbound in a smaller pot before putting into a larger pot. The potting soil that I would use would be 1/3 soil, 1/3 compost of your choice and 1/3 perlite. Some climber seedlings may not bloom the first season so don’t be discouraged. I have had some climber seedlings that bloomed well the second season. If, after some time, you don’t see some flowers cut the stem down a couple of leaf axils and force the laterals out which should give some blooms. The next step would be to take some cuttings and see how they propagate and move some outside to see how they do in the outdoors for a good evaluation.
Good luck with your “baby”.
Mitchie
Thank you Mitchie, I’ll follow your advice to the letter. I really appreciate you. Pam