Bare Root Rose

I read this article in a magazine and thought it would be of interest to you. It was written by Stephen Westcott-Gratton.

As soon as the frost is out of the ground, dig a hole at least 40 cm. deep by 50 cm. wide.  A sunny spot would be good. Add a shovelful of well – rotted manure and another of compost or peat moss. Add two handfuls of bone meal and several shovelfuls of the excavated soil; mix well. Mound up the mixture in the center of the hole to form a pyramid.

For best results, a bare-root rose must be planted immediately. Once the planting hole has been prepared, discard the packaging and plunge the rose’s roots into a bucket of cool water for no longer than one hour to rehydrate them.

1)  Stimulate new growth by trimming off the bottom 2.5 cm. from each root if the rose has broken dormancy. Trim off any leafy white shoots to 5 mm. from the woody stems.

2)  Gently spread the roots over the pyramid of soil, in zones 2 – 4 the union can be placed as deep as 15 centimeters. Adjust the height of the pyramid to position the plant at the appropriate depth.

3)  Using one hand to hold the rose in position, backfill the hole with additional top soil until level with the soil surface. Firmly pack down the soil to eliminate air pockets.

4)  Water the rose thoroughly using a solution of 10-52-10 transplant applied at half strength.

5)  Hill up the rose bush with additional top soil, leaving just the tips of the canes exposed, to prevent them from scorching in the bright spring sun before the roots have begun to establish. After two weeks remove the excess top soil used to hill up the bush so the graft point sits at the appropriate depth below the surface. Add a 3-4 centimeter thick layer of mulch to help conserve water and discourage weeds. Healthy green shoots should appear in seven to fourteen days.

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