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Indoor (?) rose - help!

Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2025 8:34 am
by Noggin
I bought myself a ‘housewarming‘ rose, despite my historic inability to keep houseplants alive e 🙄🙄

Anyway, I did forget to water it for a bit but it seemed to revive.

It’s now sat in a place that gets afternoon sun, sadly by a radiator. But I do check the soil in the pot everyday to make sure I water it enough!! (But not too much!!)

Anyway - advice please?

It almost looks like it’s four separate plants (they are all at different levels of hydration !)

And how often should I water and is plain tap water ok??

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Re: Indoor (?) rose - help!

Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2025 11:19 am
by Skub
Looks a bit dry in the pic,the soil is away from the side of the pot.
We have one similar which appeared to die after flowering for a while. I cut it right back and it's showing signs of life again. It gets watered once a week.

Caveat...I know sfa about roses,I won't even have the stabby,prickly bastards in the garden. :thumbup:

Pic is maybe a month after cutting right back.
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Re: Indoor (?) rose - help!

Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2025 11:25 am
by Mike1976
Apologies for the lazy answer but this is a great example or one of the positives in A.I. Here's what Grok had to say when I literally cut/paste your entire post:

1. Is it really four plants?
Yes — miniature/patio roses are often grown with 3–4 buds grafted onto a single rootstock. So what looks like “four plants” is actually one plant with multiple stems. They can look uneven at first (different growth rates, slight differences in sun exposure, or one stem got more stressed). Totally normal. Just treat it as one unit.

2. Location: Afternoon sun + radiator = 😬

Afternoon sun: Good! Roses love 5–6+ hours of direct light.
Near a radiator: Bad. Dry heat + warm air = rapid soil drying + stress.

Fix:
Move it at least 1–2 feet away from the radiator when it’s on. If you can’t, put a saucer of water nearby (not under the pot) to raise humidity, or group it with other plants.

3. Watering: How often + tap water?

Tap water is fine (UK water is generally soft-ish and safe for roses). Let it sit 24h if you're paranoid about chlorine, but not essential.
How often? → When the top 2–3 cm of soil feels dry.
Stick your finger in — if it’s dry past your first knuckle, water. If damp, wait.

Pro tip: Lift the pot.

Light = dry → water
Heavy = still wet → wait

In winter (heating on): Every 3–5 days is common indoors.
** But check daily** — you’re already doing great!
How to water:

Water thoroughly until it runs out the bottom.
Empty the saucer after 30 mins — no soggy roots.

4. Uneven hydration between stems?
Could be:

One side gets more sun/heat → dries faster.
Root system uneven → some stems pull more water.
Minor transplant shock.

Fix:

Rotate the pot ¼ turn every few days → even growth.
Trim any dead or yellow leaves at the base (clean scissors).
If one stem looks really sad (black stems, shrivelled), cut it back to healthy wood.

5. Winter care (indoors, UK)

Keep at 10–18°C if possible (cooler = better dormancy).
No feed until spring (March/April).
Mist leaves occasionally if air is super dry (radiator season).

6. Spring bonus
When frost risk is gone (April/May), put it outside in a sunny spot. It’ll explode with growth and flowers. Bring in before first frost or treat as annual.


How true any of that is, dunno...

Re: Indoor (?) rose - help!

Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2025 5:06 pm
by Noggin
Skub wrote: Tue Nov 11, 2025 11:19 am Looks a bit dry in the pic,the soil is away from the side of the pot.
We have one similar which appeared to die after flowering for a while. I cut it right back and it's showing signs of life again. It gets watered once a week.

Caveat...I know sfa about roses,I won't even have the stabby,prickly bastards in the garden. :thumbup:

Pic is maybe a month after cutting right back.
That does look much healthier than mine!!

I know the soil looks dry but to touch it's damp :?: :?:

But, it did get very very dry so maybe I need to add more to 'dose' it !! I have watered it a couple of times to the point that the water has gone through to the dish its on, but that could happen if the soil inside is too dry I guess.

I will experiment!!

Re: Indoor (?) rose - help!

Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2025 5:08 pm
by Noggin
@Mike1976 thank you. It was on the table, so further from the rad, but I thought it needed better sun!! So will have to think about that!!

Good to know that I could put it outside in spring :) :)

I will have a good look at it over the next week and see what I can do :) :)

Re: Indoor (?) rose - help!

Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2025 6:55 pm
by Mussels
Dry soil soaks up much less water, you may need to stand it in water for a few minutes to get it softened up.