In our experience, multiflora seems to be vigorous enough here -- but in our alkaline conditions, it may not be a long-lived rootstock.
Admittedly, our groundwater is on the extreme end of bad, in large part because this area is all ancient seabed.

If you're going to plant roses on multiflora, bury the graft, and hopefully the plant will transition to its own roots.

God willin', I'll never plant another rose on multiflora.

Jeri
(In Coastal Ventura Co., SoCal)

I have a few. They were slower to get going than those on Dr. Huey but they've done fine. I think they need a bit more water than the Dr. does.

Thank you Jeri and Hoovb! I think I will give them a try and see what comes of it. Other than these new orders on multiflora, I only want to have own-root roses. I am done with Dr. H. I know there are no guarantees with own-root and multiflora that the rose is clean, but I have grown to distrust Huey most. Jeri, burying the graft is an interesting idea, since we are told to not do that in CA, but I will give that a try.

Juliet

"I think they need a bit more water than the Dr. does."

Henry Kuska linked to a study of drought tolerance by rootstock. They found
Fortuniana best
Dr. Huey next
multiflora
indica worst

So Hoov's observation is correct, as usual.

Roses on multiflora grown by Pickering or Palatine should have a low incidence of virus. I don't know if any Texas growers are still using multiflora, but if so, I'd expect them to be no cleaner than western-grown plants on Huey.

Unless they go onroot plants on Multifora have a life expectancy of about 10 years. This from Christian Schultheis in Germany who did his Speciality in root stocks. He didn't think much of it-Europeans have several other choices. I think in most cases the OGR's do go on root. Not burying the rootstock is supposed to help prevent suckers but Multiflora is not as prone to suckering as the Dr.

patricia

Jeri, burying the graft is an interesting idea, since we are told to not do that in CA, but I will give that a try. Juliet

*** Yeah, I know we are.
But then, I've found over the years that a great many of the things "we are told" turn out to be wrong. Or not correct in all instances.
FWIW, even Dr. Tommy Cairns told me to bury the graft when the roses are budded on multiflora -- because of its relatively short life-span.
And while I don't necessarily take everything TC says as Gospel, my own experiences in this have led me to believe it's the best course.

Jeri

My Pickering roses(on Multiflora) are probably not quite ten years old yet. So far they've done well.

I find the subject of rootstock very interesting and have spend a lot of time and energy on it. I really like reading the posts by you guys even though conditions are very different from what I experience here (Norway and France mostly). I would love to read what Mr. Schultheis has written on the subject. Where did you find that Patricia?

I wonder why USA and Europe (both north and south of the Alps) use very different types of root-stock. It has to be something else than ph conditions and rain-fall, as acidic/alkaline, dry/whet areas are found both places.

When it comes to the own-root question I value the roses on a sort of case to case basis; the varieties are very different, especially when it comes to ph and extreme soil conditions. If you can find roses grafted on some of the canina or rubiginosa hybrids commonly used for root-stock it is well worth trying even in warmer climates. Canina have a reputation for being capable to adjust to different ph, and does well in dry areas too. It even grows well near the sea with a high salt content in the soil. I have seen roses do well even after storms flooded the gardens earlier in the season. (Most commonly used is perhaps laxa, but not for the old varieties). I think multiflora is by some preferred for multiflora climbers. For pernetianas it is no good.

I think manetti is still used in Italy, but north of the Alps only in greenhouses.

Burying the graft-point is not a very reliable way to get ownroot roses. It happens but in my experience most stay on their rootstock (with exception of the most sucker-prone varieties).

in my experience most stay on their rootstock

*** I think you may be right.
I wish I didn't.

Jeri

One idea that has appeared a number of times over the years is to plant the bush on a slant. That way both the understock and the lower part of the plant are more or less in the "root zone" and the plant can decide which root system is best for those conditions.

Taoseeker-I got to talk to Mr Schulthise while on a visit to Germany last year. He was very generous with his time. This is the son who is taking over the family business from his father. He was interested to hear what was going on in the US from someone addicted to the OGR's which he most particularly loves. We got to talk pruning and favorite varieties... They are adding more and more own root roses-interesting since most roses in Europe are grafted. They had beautiful plants for sale. I lusted after some of them.
As for going own root-I am primarily thinking of Gallicas and so forth. I have alot of plants from Pickering who use primarily Multiflora. I usually root some plants from the roses that I grow grafted so that I have it ownroot as well. The grafted plant gives me immediate gratification and eventually I will have a nice long lived one.

patricia