How to transplant old roses is a crucial question commonly asked when the bushes outgrow their environments. The best time for transplanting depends on your climate and variety, but you should transplant your roses when they’re dormant.
Rose deciduous shrubs are pretty popular in cottage gardens and can be planted in beds with other colorful companion plantings. Our gardening team will explain the process of transplanting rose bushes in detail.
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What Are The Steps For Transplanting Old Roses?
The steps involved in transplanting old roses include picking a good time and choosing the right location. After this, prep for transplanting by gathering the tool and determining the right time. Lastly, dig up the bush and transplant to the desired location.
Rose bushes can be arranged to create a colorful hedge or planted along slopes and banks to stop soil erosion. In containers and pots, roses will add interest to a deck or porch and brighten your indoor garden.
Some novice gardeners believe that roses aren’t beginner-friendly. This isn’t true because many varieties are easy to grow and maintain as long as you provide your plants with optimal care. Yet, you might notice that your rose bush isn’t thriving as it should, and it doesn’t bloom as much as you expect.
This can result from the wrong landscape design by selecting a shaded location to plant your shrubs. If the nearby plants grow tall enough to shade your roses, they’ll suffer and wilt. You might also consider transplanting roses if you’ve picked a low position where the soil remains soggy most of the time, as these plants thrive in well-draining soil.
Overcrowding is another reason you might want to consider transplanting the vibrant rose shrubs, as the woody stems and thorns can become a nuisance, and the plants become unhealthy when they’re too close to each other. Moreover, you might need to transplant a bush if it’s grown in its pot or container.
Roses are delicate plants, and you should be careful while transplanting them. Nevertheless, following these transplanting tips guarantees that your plants will thrive and continue to bloom for several seasons.
1. Pick A Good Time
Picking the wrong time to transplant roses worsens the symptoms of the transplant shock and can cause wilting and loss of foliage. This is why you should study the variety to choose the right time for transplanting your bushes.
Depending on the roses’ variety, USDA zone, and climate, you can determine the dormant season for your plants. This is when the transplantation is more likely to succeed.
Roses thrive in USDA zones 2 to 11, and they expect most growth in the summer. In the dormant season, your bush won’t be actively growing foliage or blooming, and it can redirect its energy towards the roots so they can get established.
In northern regions with cooler temperatures in the early spring. Gardeners can also transplant them in the fall in warmer climates because they might start growing by springtime. Moving and transplanting a rose shrub in the summer isn’t recommended, and your plant might not survive. However, if you see your shrub struggling, moving it should be your top priority, regardless of the time.
You should pick a day with a moderate temperature to transplant your roses. You should avoid transplanting your roses if the temperature is too high or too low. So, for example, you can’t transplant these roses if the ground is frozen.
Finally, it’s best to avoid dry and hot days, as cloudy days are better for transplanting. On cloudy and overcast days, there will be more moisture in the air, which can help the plants stay healthy.
2. Choose The Right Location
Roses thrive in well-draining, loamy soil but can tolerate different soil types with proper draining. Roses prefer slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil, and adding peat moss to improve draining will encourage the transplanted plants to get established. Amending soil will help your bush overcome the transplanting shock.
Roses should have access to at least 6 hours of sunlight daily to stay healthy. So, you can grow them in the western or eastern part of your garden, as they can benefit from the morning and afternoon sun. Nevertheless, the morning sun will help your shrubs better because they will dry the foliage and protect your roses from moisture-related diseases and infections. Moreover, the afternoon sun can be too harsh for the plant and might scorch the foliage and blooms.
3. Prep For Transplanting
For the best results, you should choose a spot that resembles the original location where your rose shrub used to grow. Most rose shrubs have thorns, so you should wear protective gloves while handling them to protect your hands.
Experienced gardeners always advise trimming, pruning, and cutting back rose shrubs before transplanting them. During the dormant season, some of the foliage will die, and there’s no point in keeping it when you want to transplant your roses and boost their liveliness.
While transplanting a rose bush, no matter how careful you are, some of the roots will be cut, which means that this plant will have limited access to water and nutrients. By pruning the bush, you’ll put less stress on the root system, so your plant can grow and survive the transplanting shock.
Finally, pruning a shrub and making it more compact gives it a more aesthetically appealing look and also eliminating all the unruly branches and leaves that might ruin the look of your shrub. Don’t forget to tie the stems and canes together so they don’t hit you in the face while digging up and transplanting your rose bush.
Ideally, you should dig a hole 12 inches wide and 15 inches deep to accommodate the root ball. But if you have a bigger bush, your hole should be bigger. The hole must be about 2 or 3 times the size of the root ball. If you’re not sure about the size of the root ball, make the hole as big as the width of the bush’s crown.
Next, you need to test the drainage in the new hole. To do this, fill the hole with water and see how fast it drains. If it drains within an hour, you have good drainage, and you can transplant your roses. Otherwise, you’ll have to find another spot.
Once you’ve decided on the location, it’s time to work in some compost, especially if you have inferior soil. It’s crucial to create a small mount in the center of the hole because this is where your rose plant will sit.
Follow the same steps if you plan to transplant a potted rose bush into a bigger pot. You should get a pot 2 inches larger than the old one and fill one-third of it with a well-draining potting mix. Then, you should amend the mix by adding compost or bone meal to be ready for transplanting. Ensure your pot has several drainage holes to protect the plant from root rot.
4. Dig Up The Bush
Using your shovel, start digging around your shrub, about 6 to 9 inches away from the drip line. This way, you can dig to loosen the root ball without damaging it. You might have to dig for 12 inches and up to 24 inches, depending on the size and age of your bush.
Since you want to dig up your plant without damaging the root ball, be careful as you dig deeper. So, face your shovel away from the root ball until you’ve reached a suitable depth.
Then, start placing your shovel under the root ball to lift it. You might accidentally cut some roots, and that’s OK as long as you don’t excessively damage the root ball.
Lift the root ball as carefully as possible and try to carry the plant by the stem if you can. Taking help is recommended if you want to transplant a larger bush.
Check and trim the root ball for sick roots because they won’t benefit your plant. You can also use burlap to wrap the root ball until you transplant it.
Also remove the whole plant from the soil with the root ball intact for a potted bush. Use a garden shovel to work around the edges of the root ball and gently squeeze the plant out without damaging it.
5. Transplant The Bush
Now that your bush is ready to be transplanted, you should move it to the new location while keeping the root ball intact. You can tease some of the roots if you notice that the plant is rootbound.
Before you transplant the bush, test the depth of the hole. The plant must be the same height to help the roots get established. So, you might need to dig a deeper hole or fill it with soil before transplanting. Your guide should be the graft union, where the scion and rootstock meet, and after transplanting, it should be about an inch below the soil surface.
Remove the twine used to tie the canes and the burlap before transplanting. Plant the bush into the new hole, fill it, and then water thoroughly. This will help the soil settle and show you how much more soil you need to add. Keep adding soil until the graft union is covered and your plant is settled.
For a potted plant, place the rose plant into the soil and water it thoroughly until the excess water passes through the drainage holes.
6. Caring For Transplanted Rose Shrubs
During the first few days after a transplant, check the soil regularly to ensure it’s always moist but not soggy. You might need to water your shrub more often based on the temperature. Avoid watering the plant from above, and always water at ground level.
Always make sure that your plant has access to direct sunlight. If you’re growing your rose in a pot, place it next to a south-facing window. It’s best to water your plant in the morning as the afternoon soon won’t be able to dry the soil, increasing the risk of powdery mildew. Once the plant has established, you can let the soil dry out between waterings and water it only twice a week.
After transplanting, feeding your plant with a 10-10-10 fertilizer will be a good decision. This balanced fertilizer will help the roots establish and boost new growth. Pruning the dead flowers will encourage more blooming in the growing season.
Conclusion
Rose shrubs aren’t fussy, but you should follow specific tips such as mentioned below while transplanting them:
- You should transplant rose bushes in the spring or fall when the plant is dormant.
- Pick a location with access to sunlight so your roses can grow and bloom.
- These plants thrive in fertile soil, so work in some compost into well-draining soil to help them succeed.
- Water this plant regularly after transplanting it and twice weekly after it gets established.
With these tips, even a novice gardener can find their rose shrub in a better location where it can thrive for decades.