2 Methods for Transplanting Rose Bushes of Any Age

 2 Methods for Transplanting Rose Bushes of Any Age

You may want to move a rose bush from one location to another, but are afraid of shocking the bush. There are two effective ways to reduce the shock to the bush and successfully relocate it. The first and simplest is to drive a spade down vertically to its full length of blade about twelve or fifteen inches from the plant. The rich new soil will be permeated by a network of secondary roots. The more small fibrous roots a bush has, the better it can feed from the soil.

You may want to move a rose bush from one location to another on occasion, but you are afraid of shocking the bush and killing it. However, there are two effective ways to reduce the shock to the bush and successfully relocate it to a more suitable location in your flower garden.

The first and simplest method is to drive a spade down vertically to its full length of blade about twelve or fifteen inches from the bush and then circle the process until all lateral roots have been cut. This should be done in June or early July, with the bush moved two or three weeks later.

Dig a sloping hole on one side that leads to the vertical spade-cuts, remove some of the surface soil around the bush to reduce weight, drive the spade under the plant, and gently lift it in a ball of earth. Wetting and dabbing the outside of the ball will make it stickier. Slide it into its new hole via another sloping cut, fill the spaces around the ball with friable soil, and thoroughly water it. To reduce moisture loss and shrivelling, the bush must be pruned and all leaves carefully clipped off.

By cutting any strong root at a reasonable distance from a plant, you force the growth of many smaller feeding roots. Because roots only feed through their terminal points, the more small fibrous roots a bush has, the better it can feed from the soil.

The second, and more difficult, method is to prepare the rose for the move by digging a trench in early spring in a semicircle around the bush, with a radius of a foot or slightly more from the stem, depending on the size of the plant. This will remove the roots in that area. Fill the trench with good-quality loam that does not contain any fermenting manure. The rich new soil will be permeated by a network of fibrous secondary roots. Complete the circle in a similar manner three months later, around Christmas time. Around four months later, in the autumn, the bush can be lifted with a good ball of earth held together by a mass of fibrous roots.

In either method of transplanting, the rose bush has been safely root-pruned, which reduces shock and ensures the plant's survival. You may be wondering why you would need to use that second, more involved method when the first is so straightforward. The only time it is required is when moving a large old rose plant.

You now have two excellent methods for successfully transplanting rose bushes. Even if you don't want to do it very often, feel free to design your own flower garden! Happy gardening.