What is the best time to plant roses?
Roses live for many years. Their presence brings joy to our eyes and soul. That is why it is important to make sure that we plant them correctly. Garden roses take root easily and quickly, but for successful planting, we need to consider some important factors.
TIME TO PLANT ROSES
The best time to plant bare-root roses is when the plants are in their dormant period. This period can be either at the end of autumn, around November, or at the beginning of spring, around March and the first half of April.
Frequent rainfall helps the soil to settle better around the roots, providing enough moisture for the rose plants to take root and then grow new roots. During the winter months, when there is no ground frost, the rose roots grow and develop nicely.
Thanks to winter rooting, roses can start the growing season in spring with greater strength and vitality, which contributes to their vigorous growth throughout the year. This will also promote more abundant and abundant flowering.
Below we present some simple but essential steps that, if followed, guarantee successful planting.
Roses grow well and bloom profusely if the place chosen for them is sunny and airy. It is good if they receive at least 4 hours of direct sunlight per day. If you plant a rose in a place where it does not receive at least 4 hours of sunlight, this plant will not be able to develop properly and will produce very few flowers, if any.
Avoid soil that is too dry or too wet, which is saturated with water. If a rose sits in waterlogged soil for too long, its roots will rot and the plant will dry out.
For autumn plantings, the shoots should be left longer, and then the following spring the plant can be pruned to the 4th-5th bud.
Dig a hole 40 x 40 x 40 cm so that the soil around the roots is loose and new roots can develop more easily, especially if the soil is too compacted.
VERY IMPORTANT
DO NOT APPLY or USE any fertilizer (chemical fertilizer, compost, or manure) when planting in the fall. Do not use fertilizers that promote rooting of roses.
If you apply fertilizers that promote rooting in the fall, those white, hair-thin roots may start growing too early and freeze due to the frosts in December and January.
If we watch videos from the UK (Peter Beals or David Austin) or films or broadcasts from other countries with milder climates, we can see that they recommend and apply fertilizing for autumn plantings. In their case, this is allowed, but in our case it is risky because the soil can freeze up to 30-50 cm deep in winter.
Why is fertilization not recommended for autumn plantings?
Most fertilizers stimulate vegetative growth, but we primarily want well-rooted plants that will withstand vegetative growth.
Organic or chemical fertilizers can be applied to any plant, but only after the plant is well established. This is a basic rule.
Almost all fertilizers, including manure, contain nitrogen. Nitrogen stimulates the vegetative growth of plants.
For our garden roses planted in the fall, the most important thing is rooting, not starting new vegetative growth, which can easily freeze during the winter.
When the first frost arrives, if the mineral salts in the plants are in excess (and this will certainly be the case if you use fertilizer after September 15), they can easily freeze and the crystals formed will break the tissue structure of the shoots and the plant will die.
For bare root roses planted in the spring, in March, we recommend applying fertilizer within a month of planting. Most fertilizers stimulate vegetative growth, but we primarily want well-rooted plants that will withstand vegetative growth.
You can apply fertilizer for spring plantings, as this will help the rooting process.
For plants that have been established for at least a year, we recommend using fertilizer from April.
We do not recommend using manure for plants planted in the fall. We also do not recommend using manure because few people can distinguish its fermentation stage. The manure may be immature, meaning the biological processes (fermentation) have not yet started.
In autumn, at the end of the growing season, roses prepare for dormancy. It is recommended to use non-energy producers and/or nutritional supplements.
Well-matured manure or manure derived from well-matured plant residues, with suitable chemical properties, reaches the desired quality in at least 5 years, sometimes 10 years.
For this reason, we still recommend that you only use manure or other nutrients for spring plantings a month after planting, when your roses are likely to have taken root.
The basic rule is to use organic or chemical fertilizers only after rooting, no matter what plant.
Why not use fertilizer when autumn arrives?
"Sludge treatment" of roots - an important operation
In order to absorb nutrients as much as possible, it is important that the roots are well connected to the soil. To do this, make a slurry of water and a thick soil mixture, in which the rose roots are dipped so that they are well covered.
Place finely broken soil at the bottom of the pit, then carefully place the roots in the pit, spreading them well (it is very important that the graft is at ground level, 2-3 cm below ground level in colder areas), then fill the pit with soil and press the space well to remove any air pockets.
Water generously, with at least 10 liters of water. If it does not rain, water each rose with 10 liters of water every 2-3 days for the first two weeks.
Warning: Do not plant roses in a place where roses have already been planted without replacing the soil at least 30 cm deep and over an area of 1 square meter.
The planting distance is at least 50 cm for large-flowered and cluster-flowered roses. Creeping roses need at least 1.5 m of space, while tall-stemmed and tall-stemmed hanging roses need 1 m.
Climbing roses should be planted next to a wall, column, fence or special support. If you plant them next to a wall, plant them about 20 cm away from the wall, in a slightly tilted position, with their branches towards the wall and their roots in the opposite direction from the wall.
For tall and tall hanging roses, a support should be provided. This can be a tall metal support that should reach the last graft on the trunk (where the shoots begin). Fix the metal support in the soil before planting the rose tree to prevent damage to the roots.
Bare-root roses are shipped in special packaging covered with foil, which maintains optimal humidity due to the greenhouse effect, so the roots do not dry out during transport.
If you delay planting your roses for a few days, place them in a cool place. Keep the foil packaging sealed to ensure the roses don't dry out.
MULCHING IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR AUTUMN PLANTINGS
Mulching is a very important operation that protects plants during frosty winter days. If the winter is very cold and there is no snow, then mulching will protect the graft from frost.
In late November or early December, when the temperature drops to around -2°C, cover the rose graft with mulch (raising the soil surface with earth), which will protect it from winter frosts.
Use finely crumbled soil to avoid any air pockets that may form in the soil. These air pockets can create air pockets that cannot provide effective protection against frost.
The mulch should be at least 20-25 cm high if the roses are located in an area with a temperature of -10 ° C, and at least 30 cm high if it is colder than this. The soil for mulching should come from other parts of the garden. Do not use the soil around the plant, as this will protect the roots from frost.
Do not start mulching too early, when the temperature has not yet reached the mentioned -2 ° C. Fragile buds or shoots may form under the mulch, which will freeze in winter.
If the risk of frost is particularly high, even below -15 °C, it is worth covering the mulch with straw, tree branches, corn cobs or even sawdust.
Never cover rose plants with plastic. Plastic does not allow ventilation and the roses can become moldy.
For more information or if you need any assistance, do not hesitate to contact us as soon as possible!
We wish you a nice day and successful gardening!
The Famous Roses team