Planting roses in the garden. When roses are planted correctly

Roses live for many years, pleasing our eyes and souls. That's why it's good to make sure we plant them correctly. Garden roses take root quickly - but for successful planting we need to take into account some important aspects.

ROSES PLANTING PERIOD

Bare-root roses are planted when they are in vegetative dormancy: either in late autumn in November, or in early spring in March and the first half of April.

Due to the frequent rains, the soil settles very well around the roots and there is enough moisture for the rose cuttings to take root and put out new roots. In winter, when the ground is not frozen, the roots grow and develop.

Thanks to rooting in winter, the roses will have more strength/vitality to start the spring in vegetation and maintain vigorous growth of the plant throughout the year. Thus, the roses will have a much more abundant flowering.

Here are a few simple but essential steps you should follow for successful planting:

Roses will grow and bloom profusely if the location chosen is sunny and airy. They prefer direct sunlight for at least 4 hours a day. If you plant a rose in a location with less than 4 hours of sun per day, it will not develop properly and will produce very few flowers, if any.

Avoid soil that is too dry or too wet, prone to waterlogging. If a rose stays in waterlogged soil for too long, its roots will rot and the plant will wither.

When planting in the fall, the branches are left longer so that they can be shortened to 4-5 nodes the following spring.

Dig holes measuring 40 x 40 x 40 cm, this way the roots will have looser soil around them and new roots will develop much more easily, especially in compacted terrain.

VERY IMPORTANT

When planting in the fall, DO NOT APPLY, DO NOT USE any type of fertilizer (no chemical fertilizers, no compost, no manure.) Do not use any fertilizers that aid in rooting roses.

If you apply fertilizers in the fall to stimulate rooting, it is possible that these hair-thin white roots will start too early and, due to the cold in December and January, they will freeze.

In the videos from the UK (by Peter Beals or David Austin) or other countries with milder climates you will see that they recommend and apply rooting fertilizers for autumn plantings. For them this is good, for us it is risky because in winter the ground can freeze to 30-50 cm.

Why do we not recommend applying fertilizers to autumn plantings?

Most fertilizers stimulate vegetative growth or, above all, we need well-rooted plants that can bear vegetative growth.

The basic rule is to apply organic or chemical fertilizers to each plant once it is well rooted.

Almost all fertilizers, including manure, contain nitrogen. Nitrates stimulate vegetative growth in plants.

Garden roses planted in the fall need to be rooted, they do not need new vegetative growth that will die in the winter.

If at the first frost the plants have an excess of sap (and they will if you fertilize after September 15), it will freeze and the ice crystals will destroy the tissue of the branches and the plant will die.

For spring plantings that are bare-rooted in March, we recommend applying fertilizer one month after planting. Most fertilizers stimulate vegetative growth or, above all, we need well-rooted plants that can bear vegetative growth.

For spring plantings, you can apply fertilizers to aid rooting.

For plants that have been rooted for at least 1 year, we recommend applying fertilizers from April.

We do not recommend applying manure to fall plantings because few of us know the difference between well-fermented and incompletely fermented manure.

In the fall, roses prepare for vegetative rest. It is recommended not to give them energizing and/or nutritional supplements.

Well-fermented manure (slurry) or slurry from well-fermented plant residues, chemically balanced, is obtained in a minimum of 5 years and can last up to 10 years.

For the same reason, we recommend applying manure or other fertilizers one month after planting, when we can consider that the rose has taken root. The basic rule is to apply organic or chemical fertilizers to each plant once it is well rooted.

Why aren't more fertilizers applied as autumn approaches?

Wetting the roots - an important operation
In order to absorb nutrients as well as possible, it is important for the roots to have a good connection with the soil. For this purpose, a mud mixture of water and soil with the consistency of sour cream is prepared, into which the rose roots are introduced, so that they are very well soiled.

Add crushed soil to 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, and in colder areas 2-3 cm below ground level), then fill the pit with soil and level the area well to remove air pockets.

Water thoroughly (at least 10 liters of water). If it does not rain, water each rose with 10 liters of water, once every 2-3 days, for the first two weeks.

Warning: do not plant roses in a place where there were other roses before without changing the soil at least to a depth of 30 cm and an area of ​​1 square meter!

The planting distance is at least 50 cm for large-flowered roses and roses with showy flowers. For climbing roses, a space of at least 1.5 m is required, and for weeping roses and fruit trees, they are planted at a distance of at least 1 m.

Creeping roses can be planted next to a wall, fence or special support. If you plant them next to a wall, place them 20 cm away from it, tilted, with the branches towards the wall and the roots in the direction away from the wall.

For weeping roses and fruit trees, it is necessary to provide them with a support system, preferably a tall metal pole, up to the last graft of the stem (to the point where the branches begin). To avoid damaging the roots, fix the stem in the ground before planting the rose.

Bare-root roses are delivered in a foil bag, which, through the greenhouse effect, maintains optimal humidity so that they do not dehydrate during transportation.

If you delay planting your roses by a few days, please place them in a cool place. Store them in a tightly sealed foil bag. This will prevent the roses from dehydrating.
WATERING is VERY IMPORTANT for autumn planting
Weeding is a very important operation to protect plants during frosty winters. If the winter is very frosty and there is no snow, then mulch will protect the graft from freezing.

In late November or early December, when temperatures of -2°C are recorded, cover the grafted rose with a layer of soil to protect it from freezing in winter.

Spread well-crumbled soil. Avoid lumps of soil. They create air pockets and do not provide effective frost protection.

Make a mulch of at least 20-25 cm if the roses are in an area with temperatures of -10°C or at least 30 cm if they are in even colder areas.
For bedding, use soil brought from another part of the garden. Do not use the soil around the plant, as this protects the roots from freezing.

Do not prune too early when it is less than -2°C outside, because tender buds/shoots will form under the mulch and will freeze in the winter.

If the area is at risk of severe frost, below -15°C, cover the bedding with straw, tree branches, corn cobs, sawdust.

Never cover them with plastic. Plastic does not allow ventilation and the roses will get moldy.

Find out why fertilizers are no longer applied with the onset of autumn?

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information or whenever we can assist you.

Have a wonderful day and good luck with your gardening!
All of us from Famous Roses