Can anyone advise me of any precaution I should take when moving established roses to a new patch.

Norton wrote:

Can anyone advise me of any precaution I should take when moving established
roses to a new patch.

This assumes it is the correct time to plant bareroots in your region
and that the established roses are large, 6 feet and taller. The fall
is the perfect time to plant bareroots in my zone, Zone 9. That makes
it the perfect time to transplant as well.

1. Prepare the new home thoroughly, adding lots of organic matter to
the soil and a handful of bone meal. Loosen the soil down to 18 inches
to 24 inches. The perfect rose hole is 24 x 24.

2. Cut the rose back so the canes are no longer than 2 feet. You are
creating a bareroot rose. This can be intimidating but it works. Don't
cheat and leave 4 foot canes. It will not improve your rose.

3. Strip off all the leaves.

4. Dig the rose out using a shovel at least 18 inches from the crown of
the plant. Don't worry about the small, fine roots. Try to get as much
of the very large anchor root as possible, at least 18 inches of it.
If you can't dig out a root, cut it with your secateurs.

5. After the rose is out of the soil, balance the size of the top to
the size of the bottom. If you need to remove an older cane and limit
the total number of canes to 3 to 5, do it. Be heartless and brutal.

5. If you cannot plant the rose immediately or if the conditions are
dry, soak the removed rose in a container of water large enough to
submerge it until you are ready to plant.

6. Plant it in the new hole with *no* fertilizer. Do not fertilize the
rose until after it is fully leafed out with at least 2 inches of
vigorous new growth. Do not tamp the soil. Simply water it in.

7. Keep the rose well-watered but not drowned. If it is hot and dry,
mound the canes with mulch so that only the tips are exposed.

Here is a picture of a 7 x 7 foot rose that I dug up with lots of help
last winter. Note that the canes are too long and needed to be cut back
just a bit more.

http://home.earthlink.net/~cbernstei...s/Bareroot.jpg

Plant it in the new hole with *no* fertilizer.

The rose must have some type of phoshate fertilizer in the hole. It could
be rock phospate or super phosphate added per the instructions on the label
whatever you nirmally use. Phosphate has to be added to the soil around the
roots or it will never get there as it does not readily move through the
soil like N does. If applied to the surface it will stay there chemically
bound to the soil where it is applied.

In oPYrb.165236$HS4.1342989@attbi_s01 Centifolia wrote:
If applied to the surface it will stay there chemically
bound to the soil where it is applied.

Well it does move a little, but generally you are right. I mix blood
and bone and Osmocote into the planting soil to address this. I'd be
pretty cautious about putting superphosphate right onto roots.

"Daniel Hanna" wrote in message
home.com.au...
In oPYrb.165236$HS4.1342989@attbi_s01 Centifolia wrote:
If applied to the surface it will stay there chemically
bound to the soil where it is applied.

Well it does move a little, but generally you are right. I mix blood
and bone and Osmocote into the planting soil to address this. I'd be
pretty cautious about putting superphosphate right onto roots.

I second that. Chemical fertilizers
tend to be much stronger that most
plants generally need or can use.

IIRC phosphates have a tendency to get
chemically bonded as they percolate through
the soil. Mixing it in at the time of planting may
address a short term need but is not a long term solution.

It might therefore be more useful to use
an organic feed like fish emulsion that
chemically bonds the phosphate as it
percolates till it breaks down slowly
allowing a more natural uptake.

Yes, a dose of chem ferts can produce
lush growth but like steroids it can also do damage.

--
Theo

in KC Z5

"Centifolia" wrote:
Plant it in the new hole with *no* fertilizer.

The rose must have some type of phoshate fertilizer
in the hole...Phosphate has to be added to the soil
around the roots or it will never get there as it does
not readily move through the soil like N does....

Maybe I should be happy that I live in Florida phosphate
country: pH 4.5, phosphate off the scale according to
soil tests of the black sand/clay mix on much of my land.
Even moribund bushes put out blooms before dying.

Flip side: no other major nutrients in the soil. I've been
known to do strange things, such as urinate next to treasured
plants to give them nitrogenous goodies, or chuck potassium
chloride water-softener pellets (don't try this with regular
salt pellets!) over their roots. Luckily, one can also buy
fertilizers with the middle number (phosphorus) 2 or even 0,
at least around here.

Mark., now to try mycorrhizal stuff again, easy on the fertilizer

"Norton" wrote in message
s.com...
Can anyone advise me of any precaution I should take when moving
established roses to a new patch.
--
Norton
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