Transplanting Roses
Transplanting Roses isn’t as Hard as You Might Think
Many people are hesitant about transplanting roses for fear of damaging the root system and having the roses not live in their new location. If you follow some simple practices, however, the transplanted rose should continue to grow and even thrive in its new home.
To begin, you must choose the appropriate time for transplanting roses. The best time is in the very early spring before it has warmed up enough to awaken the plant. As the rose plant will still be in a dormant state, you are much less likely to cause damage or shock the plant. Plus, you can kill two birds with one stone by doing your spring pruning at the same time. Make sure you carefully inspect the plant for any sign of disease and prune off any undesirable canes. Transplanting roses in the fall is possible but harder as the soil still has to have a certain amount of warmness. If it gets too cold before you transplant, the rose plant probably won’t survive.
You need to have dug your hole and prepared the new bed before doing anything with the plant. Sometimes it helps to have thoroughly watered the rose plant a few days before the move. Dig a large hole for the plant and then make a little mound in the center of the hole on which to place the plant. Remember that you will have a very large ball of roots depending on the age of the rose plant.
Transplanting roses should not be done on a sunny day. Wait for a warm day when the sky is cloudy and when there is rain forecast for later on. Dig a large circular hole around the rose plant and take out the largest ball of roots you can manage. It is not important to get every lower root as it is the roots closer to surface that are the feeder roots. To transport the plant, put it in a wheelbarrow on something you can carry such as a piece of burlap. Cover the roots so they are not exposed to the air for very long.
Make sure that you have thoroughly checked the plant for disease and then lower it into the new hole. Spread out the roots as much as you can. The rose bush will settle in its new hole, so plant it a little higher than it was previously planted. The bud union should still be one to two inches above the ground. Fill the hole with the soil you have prepared and then water the plant.
Next, prune the plant and leave around five healthy canes. The cut should be made at a 45-degree angle and at least a quarter of an inch above any buds. It is always good to spray with a fungicide to protect against disease. Now cover the bud union and the rest of the plant with soil. Some people cover it with a white plastic bag for a week or so. Just make sure the plant’s roots are moist at all times. You should start to see new green shoots growing as soon as the temperature is warm enough.