99p rose dipped in wax.

This is a Paul's Scarlet sold in my local 99p store as a bare root. Couldn't resist it at that price really. On removing the packaging, it has 4 almost pencil thick green stems with a few weak looking new white laterals having already broken from them with pale white leaves. Well, it was sitting around in a warm store in the dark for some weeks. I've potted it up and 2 weeks later those very pale leaves are starting to colour green and there are some nice, plump looking bud eyes just above the crown.

What I was wondering is should I prune down to those plump eyes removing the stems from which those weak laterals have already broken? That would mean the 'pencil' stems would be no more than half inch long. At the moment they are about 3" - 4" long. Or would it be better just leaving the rose as it is? As for the stems having been dipped in wax - I'm not too bothered about that.

 

What a bargain! I don't grow this but it is gorgeous. I'd be tempted to leave pruning until better established and giving it a feed. ill wait to see what other advice is out there.

 

It's obviously a very young shrub Paul and with stems only 3 to 4 inches long I wouldn't prune it back any further this year. Leave it to mature and put on more growth.

 

I've learnt something new, thanks Woo!

 

Thanks Woo. The rose is potted outside now and gets a few hours of sunlight (when we get sun). I should have posted a photo with my first post which I will do now.

As you can see the leaves are starting to green up. You can see to the left those eyes near the crown. Do you think I should prune that far back? How about the right stem with its side branch. Should I prune that back to near the crown as well? I've read that you should hard prune a rose in its first year.

 

Well said woo, i bought a few cheap one last year and 2 didnt make it. Since then ive spent a little more on older plants and looked after any cheap ones more carefully.
One of my aldi ones has taken 2 months just to put out one bud, and that's in a lovely deep pot of compost!

 

I would prune all the stems down to a couple of buds you really need to let it form some good roots before flowering

 

I agree with Woo, I wouldn't prune a young rose either unless there was a very good reason for it, like the white side shoots you have on yours Paul.

 

Well, if it ever ends up looking anything like this in a few years time then it most certainly would have been.

http://www.gardenoasis.co.uk/images...Scarlet.jpg?osCsid=ht87lms0uinvuoesvfhb89ki85