Is my rose dead?

[nhraziano7]

*sigh* So, my grandparents lived in their house for most of my life and my nonna had the most amazing roses. My mom knew when they moved into an apartment closer to all of us it was hard for me because I have so many memories at that house and am very close to my nonni and nonna (they'll both be 94 this year). So, as a surprise she dug up one of their rose bushes and brought it to me in a hugs pot (I would have asked her to leave it, poor thing had been in that spot for over 20yrs). At first it did great but then started to do poorly. The pot was a good size but only had one drainage hole that was not doing the job and she had filled it with dirt from the ground, not potting soil. So when I saw that it would die if I left it there I re-planted it in my planter. At first the few leaves it had fell of and it started to look brown and I've been hoping it's just in shock from being moved again but now I worry that it's dead. Is there a way to check without cutting off part of the plant? How long do I watch for signs of life before I give up? I planted it in the ground about 2-3wks ago and it's been about a week since it's looked like I might have killed it.

 

[Chuck]

*sigh* So, my grandparents lived in their house for most of my life and my nonna had the most amazing roses. My mom knew when they moved into an apartment closer to all of us it was hard for me because I have so many memories at that house and am very close to my nonni and nonna (they'll both be 94 this year). So, as a surprise she dug up one of their rose bushes and brought it to me in a hugs pot (I would have asked her to leave it, poor thing had been in that spot for over 20yrs). At first it did great but then started to do poorly. The pot was a good size but only had one drainage hole that was not doing the job and she had filled it with dirt from the ground, not potting soil. So when I saw that it would die if I left it there I re-planted it in my planter. At first the few leaves it had fell of and it started to look brown and I've been hoping it's just in shock from being moved again but now I worry that it's dead. Is there a way to check without cutting off part of the plant? How long do I watch for signs of life before I give up? I planted it in the ground about 2-3wks ago and it's been about a week since it's looked like I might have killed it.

Get a knife and scratch the limbs or trunk. If it shows the slightest greenish color it is alive from that point down. If brown it is dead to at least the nearest conjunction with another limb or the trunk.