Houseplants

» RoseNovice - Postbloom Care

Hi!
So, I bought a miniature rose in late october or early november, I'm not sure which. Anyhow, it had lots of buds on it, all of which bloomed, and fell off. The plant is still doing reasonably well, although I was away from my apartment for a month, so it didn't get it's supplementary fluorescent light. Now, the leaves are getting big and spreading out, and some of them are getting pale green. They're not compact or waxy anymore, for the most part. I think this might be because they hadn't been getting enough light before, so I have them back under a fluorescent bulb, but I'm not really sure.
But, I want to know what I should be doing. Should I trim back the leaves? If so, how much? Should I try to coax it into dormancy by putting it in a less-well lit room? Is it already going into dormancy? I live in an apartment, so I can't plant it outside, but is there a way to keep it happy and healthy so it will send up blooms again for me in the spring?

-- posted by RoseNovice

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» Susan Walsh - Postbloom Care

In response to Postbloom Care posted by RoseNovice:

Hi RoseNovice,
From what you've described your plant is suffering from a lack of light. It needs a very sunny window or some grow lights. This is the time of year it normally goes into dormancy, so putting in a cool, sunny spot until early March or so won't hurt it. Once you start to see new growth, repot in fresh soil.
If the stems are getting leggy from the lack of light you can pinch them back. Hope this helps!

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