Roses Are Red...
Planting roses right for the best success
Last week we talked about what roses need for sunlight and soil, and gave you recommendations on how to get the best starters. If you missed that edition, shoot an email to us and we'll resend it.
Here's how to plant roses to give them the best start, and help them thrive for years to come.
- Roses can be transplanted anytime during the growing season, but early spring is, of course, best. Late fall might be tough if they don't get time to establish new roots before frost.
- Choose a calm, cloudy day to transplant your new shrubs. If it's not cloudy, wait until late afternoon and cooler temperatures.
- Once you've got your sunny location picked out and the soil is just right for receiving roses, it's time to dig a hole. Make the hole twice as wide as the root ball, and just a little deeper. Incorporate organic materials into the dirt, and add a little bone meal to promote rooting.
- Disturb the transplant's roots as little as possible. If the roots are in a tangled mass, make a few vertical cuts to encourage new growth. Otherwise, leave the mass alone.
- Place the transplant in the hole so that the branching canes will be just at ground level. A little deep is better than too shallow.
- Return about half of the dirt to the hole and tamp lightly. Then, fill the hole with dirt and tamp lightly again. Now, here's the important part:
- Mound soil up around the new rose 6 to 8 inches deep, above ground level. Do this even if your roses came from the greenhouse in bloom. Make a shallow well around the mounded dirt to direct water down to the roots.
- As your roses get established and start to bloom vigorously, wash the mounded dirt away from the canes. This could take a week or two, so be patient. When the buds are happily bursting out, the plant is established.
- Roses like water, so make sure they don't dry out during hot days. The soil should be moist about 15 inches down but not waterlogged! Mulch around the base of the plant to help hold in moisture. Wood chips, grass clippings, and straw are good mulches, but test your soil for nitrogen levels if you use these mulches.
- Don't wet the foliage when you water to help keep pests away.
- Fertilize in the early spring with a balanced fertilizer. Then, fertilize again after the spring bloom. It's not recommended to fertilize after August 1st, because that encourages new growth and delays winter hardening.
- Don't crowd your plants. Keep the mature size in mind when planting more than one shrub. It won't look bare for long!
When it comes on toward spring, we'll have a newsletter dedicated to pruning and deadheading roses. They don't require constant care, but a little love goes a long way toward growing the most beautiful roses.
That's all for now! Next week: Your Monthly Special Herb Feature.
If you ever have any questions, always feel free to email us at beiersgreenhouse@beiersgreenhouse.com. We promise, spring will be here before you know it! Thanks so much for reading all our emails.
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