I don't get the picture. Are they circling around in the size and shape of a previous pot?

What I do is the same as what I do with pot bound perennials before planting. Take a sharp knife and cut a big X in the bottom of the rootball. Then pull it apart a bit before planting.

Yeah, the roots are circling around in the size and shape of the previous pot even though I rough up the outside of the soil around the plant.

Your way makes sense. I guess I wasn't vigorous enough with some of them. Thank goodness most of my roses were bought as bare root roses.

So roses that I know are losing their vigor, like Gemini, should I take them out of the pot, knock the soil off and straigten out/cut the roots?

Thanks for your help! :)

Carol

Are they getting pot/root bound? Sounds to me like they need to be in larger pots.

If a potted rose declines it either needs a bigger pot or needs its roots pruned to stay in the same sized pot are my guesses....That's if soil etc. are ok ...

I turned a lot of my potted roses out in Feb, trimmed to roots back so it still had a good root ball but took off probably 3" on the sides and 6" on the bottom. Mine are in 22" pots. Then I put new potting soil in the bottom and around the sides and they did just fine. Mine never really go completely dormant but the haircut in February didn't slow them down one bit. Mine are all own root.

If they come out of the pot with roots wrapped around, you will have to root prune. If you put them in the ground like that, they won't establish a new root system in the ground easily.

Okay, I see what you are all saying....BUT :) the roses are nowhere close to being root bound. The roots are in a tiny round ball will lots of soil around them.

I think Madgallica has the right idea for me as to planting the roses. Now that they've been growing for a few years, I guess I should take the nonvigorous growing roses out of their pots and cut the roots and untangle them so that they grow outwards.

Thanks!

Carol

rosecanadian, just to clarify - do you mean that the root ball had taken the shape of the original container the rose was grown (band or gallon size) and stayed like that but got more entangled, even when the rose had been transplanted to the pot of your choice? Therefore, roots have not expanded outward to fill the new pot?

Please allow me add a question on same topic, if you don't mind....

Let's say I have a rose for 1 year in pot. Time to either root pruning, or repot to bigger one.

If I do root pruning, do I need to cut the rose short from whatever size it's already is?

Please note I have no winter, hence no spring. It's hot or warm year around, so roses never go dormant.

roseloverinsf - Yes!! Exactly!!!

Carol