Mini roses, like regular roses, will need plenty of bright sunlight such as in a west-or south-facing window. It is best if they receive anywhere from six to eight hours of sunlight a day. They will also need moderate heat, but if given too much they dry out very quickly. If it is too cold they will go dormant so the temperature should be kept above 60 degrees F. to prevent this from happening. For repeat blooming and/or extra sunlight grow lights will work wonders.
Indoor air is generally a lot drier than the outdoor air so we need to provide extra humidity around mini rose bushes. You want to set the plants in a water-filled container atop some pebbles, or you can use a room humidifer. Rose bush leaves will shrivel, turn yellow and drop if the humidity is too low. Indoor mini roses will also need
watering more frequently than the roses planted outdoors because containers will dry out faster than the ground. Growing miniature roses indoors also need good drainage to deliver nutrients, flush out salts, allows the roots to breathe, and prevents rotting.
Your potting mixture for repotting into your container can be a commercial mixture but be sure it contains perlite and vermiculite. You will want to fertilize your mini rose bushes with a rose bush fertilizer or a fertilizer high in potassium such as 5-5-10. You want to dilute it to a one-quarter strength as you are using it in a container and not the ground. The high potassium fertilizer will encourage more blooms.
Be on the lookout for signs of pests. You can spray whiteflies with horticultural oil that is light-weight. If you have a problem with spider mites you will need to wash the rose bushes thoroughly every couple of days. If the infestation is severe you will probably need to strip off all the leaves and cut the bush back by half. A healthly new growth will appear very rapidly.
Another part of indoor miniature rose care is air circulation. Poor circulation has a habit of attracting pests like spider mites and aphids. It also allows dirt and dust to accumulate on the leaves which will smother the plant. You can use a soft cloth or a fine paint brush to remove dust from the leaves.
Miniature roses need a period of dormancy just like the regular roses. This can be accomplished by placing your containers in a garage or chilly basement until January. You can then bring them back inside the house, re-pot in new soil and prune miniature roses back to about 4 inches. You can place them in a south facing window or under some
grow lights and they will soon produce new growth. In the spring, after the last frost, slowly let your
miniature rose bushes get used to the outdoor air. You can then plant them in the garden or in
outdoor containers if you so desire.
