After several years roses that are grown in pots can become root bound and may not produce like they did when they were younger. Dividing own root miniature roses can be quite rewarding. I usually divide my own root minis every 3 to 4 years. The best time of year in Central Florida to divide own root miniature roses is during the cooler months (December thru March); but I have divided minis in the middle of summer with temperatures in the upper nineties with 100% success.

Last year I divided twenty minis and ended up with a total yield of seventy bushes, which are great door prizes and “give aways."

Most of my miniature roses are grown in fifteen gallon pots that are quite heavy - so 3 to 4 days before dividing I stop watering those that I am planning to divide. Realistically, I’m trying to dry the soil out enough to remove approximately one or two gallons of moisture from the soil which will make the weight ten to fifteen pounds lighter. but not to the point where the rose bush goes into shock from drought.

Before you have decided which minis you intend to divide you need to have additional pots that are large enough to accommodate all your new plants. You should also have plenty of potting soil available.

What you should look for in a plant is three or more individual stems that are growing out of the soil in different directions. This way you are assured to get at least two or three plants out of the original rose bush. I use a saw to divide the plants, as I find the plants suffered far less stress using a saw rather than pulling them apart. 		If you have a worktable in the garden, set your potted rose on the table. If a table is not available, spread a tarp or piece of plastic on the ground. A shady spot is recommended during the summer months to prevent stressing the rose any more than necessary. Once the potted rose is on the work area, shake the pot back and forth a few times to loosen the soil from around the pot. Wearing heavy leather gloves, invert the pot while holding onto the rose and the soil at the base and with your free hand remove the pot. For large potted plants it may take two people, one to hold the rose and one to remove the pot.

Once the pot has been removed, stand the plant back up on your work area. Cut off the bottom third of the soil and roots by using a standard handsaw. The bottom third is recycled soil. This first cut, a horizontal cut, is based on roses grown in fifteen gallon pots. If your roses are growing in pots three gallons or smaller, I would recommend not cutting the bottom third off. The next cut will be a vertical cut. Don’t be afraid of cutting a section in which the stem has no root, because this will happen from time to time. Through experience you will be able to tell which stems have roots and which do not. For the second cut you may or may not want to cut all the way through the potted soil. You may only want to cut a wedge out of each side. Each wedge or section should have at least one or more good stems in it. The wedge or section of soil, root and stem should be handled very carefully trying to keep it intact.

You will find the new rose bush will be far less stressed by keeping the root system intact as much as possible.

After you have divided the rose, you may need to trim off additional soil and roots so your new rose will fit into the new pots which will have two or more inches of new soil surrounding the wedge. If possible try to plant the new wedge two to three inches lower than it was before. This will encourage new growth below the soil or mulch. Once the new plant has been completely potted, water it slowly. This should be done three or four times to assure the wedged soil and roots have been thoroughly drenched.

A water-soluble fertilizing program should be started immediately at about one tenth strength every three or four days with regular watering in between. A month after the plant has been divided they can be fertilized each week or as often as you feed your other roses. Within four months you will have a fully established bush for your garden or to share with someone else.