  In the framework of kt-factorization approach, the production and
polarization of prompt psi(2S) mesons in pp collisions at the LHC energies is
studied. Our consideration is based on the non-relativistic QCD formalism for
bound states and off-shell amplitudes for hard partonic subprocesses. The
transverse momentum dependent (unintegrated) gluon densities in a proton were
derived from Ciafaloni-Catani-Fiorani-Marchesini evolution equation or,
alternatively, were chosen in accordance with Kimber-Martin-Ryskin
prescription. The non-perturbative color-octet matrix elements were first
deduced from the fits to the latest CMS data on psi(2S) transverse momentum
distributions and then applied to describe the ATLAS and LHCb data on psi(2S)
production and polarization at 7 TeV. We perform the estimation of polarization
parameters $\lambda_\theta$, $\lambda_\phi$ and $\lambda_{\theta \phi}$ which
determine psi(2S) spin density matrix and demonstrate that taking into account
the off-shellness of initial gluons in the color-octet contributions leads to
unpolarized psi(2S) production at high transverse momenta, that is in
qualitative agreement with the LHC data.
