Transplanting Roses

Discussion in 'Rosa (roses)' started by Vernon Greenthumb, Oct 8, 2005.

  1. Vernon Greenthumb

    Vernon Greenthumb Member

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    This spring (2005) and in to the summer we built a rose garden on a slight south facing slope. We picked roses that would be a maximum of 3' in height and width. Had a fabulous display all summer and even now into the fall.

    We made the usual mistake of planting too close and need to space them wider apart. They have generally been in the ground about six months. When should we move them, now in the fall or wait until spring?

    Help, please
    George
     
  2. Carol Ja

    Carol Ja Active Member 10 Years

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    I'd move them as soon as the leaves are gone (to assure it is asleep/dormant) then move it. You want plants to get a healthy root system during the winter. If you move them in spring, the plant is waking up and putting all its efforts above the ground.
    Give it a nice heavy mulch after you move it/them, to help the ground stay unfrozen while them plant works.
    Carol Ja
     
  3. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    November.
     
  4. Weekend Gardener

    Weekend Gardener Active Member 10 Years

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    I would agree that you can start transplanting once the plant has gone dormant - in roses, that means almost all the leaves have dropped off. You should dig up as much of the rootball as you physically can. Most grafted roses will still survive even if they are down to their last 6 inches of root - that's what we start off with when we buy new roses as bareroots. But if you do, you will just be asking the rose to start all over again. You might as well take advantage of all that root mass that has been established in those 6 months of growth by preserving as much of the roots as possible. That way, come spring, the roses will have a great head start, as the roots will continue to establish themselves during the winter months.

    You should be able to continue to transplant right till you can't dig any more, because the ground is frozen solid. But I would agree with protecting with a heavy mulch, particularly with your cold winters. Although fall is the preferred season when I transplant, transplanting can also be done in late winter, early spring, as soon as the ground has thawed, but before the new buds start to break. If you are able to dig up most of the root balls, the roses shouldn't skip a beat.

    I would also suggest that you shorten the longer canes, or if not, make sure they are securely stacked to reduce "wind rock" - which is the effect of the motion of the canes being blown about by heavy wind, on the root systems.
     
  5. Vernon Greenthumb

    Vernon Greenthumb Member

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    Thanks everyone for your response. One more question. One of those roses to be transplanted appears to have powdery mildew on it. Should we (Can we) do anything to it now or should we wait until next year before we tackle this new problem?
    Thanks
    George
     
  6. Weekend Gardener

    Weekend Gardener Active Member 10 Years

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    It's too late in the season to worry about the powdery mildew, if that's what it is. (I do wonder, if it's downy mildew rather than powdery mildew - are you still getting dry weather in Vernon?) But if you are transplanting your rose, this would be a good time to make sure that you space them far apart enough to allow for good air circulation when those bushes have reached their full sizes. When you prune in the spring, make sure that you do so with an eye towrds keeping the centre of the bush "open". If you would like to take it one step further, you can apply a dormant spray before the big freeze sets in.
     
  7. K Baron

    K Baron Well-Known Member

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    If you haven't transplanted your roses, good, because your climate zone would have been brutal during the month of icy cold November. I would wait until March when the heavy freezes are long gone...here on the coast, my roses have been growing since the Nov. frost, of course only to be stopped in their tracks during this cold February, but they will survive ...if you mulched them , this protection, from the severe drying winds and freezing temperatures in your Northern Okanagan climate ,should prove sufficient protection to ensure their survival...we all love our roses...powdery mildew with spots and all!
     
  8. Eglantinerosie

    Eglantinerosie Member

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    I live in the Indianapolis area and we moved a Buck 'Applejack' and a 'Heritage'. My son did the digging and he dug a trench around them about 12" away from the rose and then he lifted them up onto a plastic tarp and covered any roots that were showing so they wouldn't get air to them. They were each put into a large hole, 18"x18" and about the same that deep. I poured about 3 gallons of root stimulator mixed with water into the hole and let it settle and then back filled with good soil,a commercial rose mixture soil, about 2 cups of Cockadoodle Doo organic fertilizer and added spagnum peat moss. We mixed all together and filled the hole. Mulched with hardwood mulch. We did have a lot of rain for about the next week and they are looking healthy and even have new shoots growing out. Forgot to mention, I did prune about 1/2 of the top growth off the roses and they even had green leaves on them. I swear it must be the chicken poop. LOL
    Happy Gardening Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!
     

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