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Rose Bush Planting
Shortly after arrival unpack your roses and soak them in a bucket of water for 12 to 24 hours. Add 1 oz of Structure to the water for every gallon of water in the bucket. Save this water if possible and us it to drench the plants once planted. The use of Structure is crucial in the development of a strong vigorous root system and the establishment of your plant. This will lead to earlier blooming, which the reason we all love to have roses in our garden. Spacing, a general rule of thumb suggests that roses should be planted about 24 to 48 inches apart depending on the future size of your plants. This spacing will vary depending on the type of rose you are planting. Old garden roses will need wider spacing, while miniatures can be planted closer. Sufficient space between plants allows for good air circulation, an excellent first step in disease control.Bare-Root Roses (Packaged Roses)
Planting holes should be dug wide enough and deep enough to comfortably accept the roots of the plant. Make a cone-shaped mound of soil in the center of the hole to support the plant, with the bud union at soil level. Fill the hole about 2/3 full of soil and add water, making a slurry of soil that gets between the roots. Do not tamp the soil, as this compacts it and destroys soil structure. After the water has drained down, add more soil and repeat the water fill process until the original soil level has been reached. Since the soil is loose, the plant will sink a little after planting, the bud union will end up 1-2 inches below soil level. This is where the bud union should be for roses growing in northern climates because this helps to provide some winter protection for the bud union.
The canes of dormant, newly planted bare-root roses need to be protected from drying winds and handled to encourage maximum bud break. To accomplish this, a temporary soil mound is placed over the canes to a depth of about 8-10 inches. This process is called "sweating" and is done to keep the canes moist to encourage maximum bud break. The soil is left in place for about 2-3 weeks or until new growth starts. When new growth does start, gently wash away the soil with a hose so as not to disturb the new growth. Other methods that works well are to wrap the canes in burlap that is kept moist or to mound the canes in sphagnum moss. Some rose growers use brown paper grocery bags to sweat their roses. Alternate method "sweat" roses using
brown paper bag Place the bag upside down over the plant. Cut two slits in the top and anchor the bottom with soil. After growth starts, the bag can be removed slowly, first by increasing the size of the slits and then taking the bag off all together. Sweating is only done with newly planted bare-root roses. It is not done each spring. Don't use plastic bags for sweating. Heat buildup can cause injury or even death of the rose plant. Potted Roses Potted roses are the easiest to plant because you have a plant that is
already growing. Potted roses offer the flexibility of being ready for planting
throughout the growing season. With containers, simply tip the pot on its side
and tap the root ball out. If the root ball doesn't come out easily, use a pair
of tin snips, shears, or knife to cut the container off. Set the root ball into
the prepared hole so the bud union is at the recommended depth. Refill the hole
with soil and water as with bare-root roses. In the case of potted roses, you
will not have to cover the canes with soil or sweat the canes as this process
has been done for you by the nurseryman.
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