Transplanting Roses
by Hilde Mulbury
This article is reproduced by the kind permission of Hilde Mulbury
Introduction
Every now and then a rosarian has to transplant a bush. In Webster's Dictionary, transplanting is defined as: to "....lift, remove, relocate and reset in another place". In order to do that, prepare the new location or bed the same way as you would if you were to plant any other rose bush. You also need a good supply of water and extra soil or mulch for covering the bush after planting in order to prevent dehydration. If you have styrofoam rose cones or heavy white plastic bags, these will be helpful for this purpose.
I. Reasons for Transplanting
a) Moving from one home to another.
b) Redesigning your rose garden.
c) Seeking a better (sunnier or shadier) location in your yard.
d) Escaping from invasive surrounding tree roots (soft maples, locust,
Chinese elms, and sumac are notorious).
e) Transferring potted roses to the garden.
f) Alleviating crowding.
g) Correcting wrongly planted bushes (bud union too high or low).
h) Rearranging colors or cultivars.
II. When to transplant
The ideal time here in Cincinnati is the early spring (middle of March to the beginning of April), when the soil is soft and can be easily worked. You can also transplant in the fall; I recommend the end of October or very beginning of November. Many rosarians have transplanted roses here at any given time of year, though perhaps not in December or January. If you transplant in the early to mid-spring, the rose bush is still practically dormant and you therefore shock the plant less than at any other time. You also have the advantage of being able to prune correctly and inspect for obvious diseases, such as crown gall, root gall or canker. Furthermore, you will have ahead of you gradually warming weather and the growing season for regeneration of the bush. If you transplant in the fall, timing is crucial, in as much as our weather in the Tri-state area is so unpredictable. You need to pick the days in which the soil is still reasonably warm for the newly transplanted bush to reestablish itself before the cold of winter arrives. If you wait too long, you risk losing the plant by virtually freezing it to death.
Friends of ours did redesign their rose garden in June-July, the hottest time of the year and also the growing season for the roses, and they did not lose one rose bush due to transplanting. Their secret was to prune the bushes back by about one-third. Roses will be shocked when dug up and will not be able to sustain a large number of leaves and stems. They dug them quickly, being careful not to lose many roots, transferred them to a north-side bed, hilled them completely, and kept them moist until the new beds were finished. This takes courage, planning, and energy!
We, too, had to prepare new beds for about 200 roses. The experience we had with this project was as follows: Several friends offered to help us move our roses from the old site to the new. One Sunday afternoon in the early spring of 1986 we met as the "digger," "tagger," "bagger," and "transporter" teams. In five hours the process was completed. The planting, however, took considerably longer -- three and one-half weeks in all. Again, we did not lose a plant due to transplanting. I made daily checks on every rose bush, bagged in a strong plastic bag and stored in a shady spot under trees, and kept them moist and well covered. Gradually, one by one, they were carefully pruned before planting. The results were phenomenal. Some of the bushes reached a height of seven feet by September. Both my husband and I have enjoyed exhibiting roses in the Cincinnati rose shows (spring and fall), though we did restrain our shears that year and cut very few blooms for home or show!
III. Tools & Necessary Items for Transplanting
1. Long-bladed spade
2. Sharp rose clippers (Felco no. 2 is best)
3. Sharp loppers
4. Small trowel
5. For covering: extra soil, mulch, rose cones, or white plastic bags
6. Good leather gloves
7. bone meal and Mag-Amp (Mag-Amp is a slow-release fertilizer
especially advantageous for planting); no other fertilizer is needed
8. Wheelbarrow
9. Wooden board or plastic sheet on which to place the excavated soil
10. Water--two large buckets full for each plant
11. Rake, to clean up after planting
12. Disinfecting sprays such as lime-sulfur or funginex
IV. Method of Transplanting
Prepare your new bed according to the correct planting methods. Dig a large hole to accommodate your plant--larger than you think necessary. Realize that you have a clump of soil together with roots rather than a bare-root plant. In order to make the digging easier and to keep the clump intact you may wish to soak the plant two days before digging. Build a small mound in the center of the hole on which to place the plant. This helps to prevent air pockets. Pick a day which is mild, calm and cloudy, if possible, when rain is predicted. With the spade, cut a circle around the plant which is to be moved. Take as large a root/soil ball as you can comfortably lift. Dig quickly, lift and probe occasionally to discover if the bush is moving or where the roots may be anchored. Lift the root ball and take along as much soil as possible so the root system is least disturbed. Place this on a wooden board or burlap or in the wheelbarrow.
Check the plant quickly for disease, then cover. Be especially careful not to unnecessarily expose the fine, white feeder roots to air, sun or wind. Now proceed to place the newly dug bush in the freshly prepared site, spreading out and pointing exposed roots and rootlets.
Mix in 1/2 to one cup of bone meal and Mag-Amp around the root system. Superphosphate can be used in place of or in addition to bone meal but keep it away from the roots. Be sure you set the bush slightly higher than before, as it will settle one to three inches. The bud union should therefore be one to two inches above ground level. Sprinkle and fill in thoroughly around the root system with prepared soil. Pour water in. Allow it to settle, bonding roots with soil, and carefully press slightly on the plant to help eliminate air pockets.
Now prune out the twiggy, spindly growths and the stems which grow toward the center of the bush, leaving three to five good, strong canes. (These should be at least the size of your index finger and not thinner than a pencil). Prune at an angle of 45 degrees and cut down to the point where you see true white pith in the center of the cane. If you notice a bud eye emerging, cut to 1/8 inch above this. It should face toward the outside of the cane. After planting and pruning, it is advisable to spray against fungus.
At the very least, cover the bud union with soil to preserve it from drying. The rest of the bush can be protected with soil or a rose cone or a white plastic bag, the stronger the plastic, the better. Keep the plant covered for 7 - 10 days and check periodically for dryness. Above all, keep it wet. Studies have shown that this is the primary factor which insures success in transplanting.
When to uncover? On a dark, warm day toward evening, when there is no wind. If rain is expected, this is ideal. Check to see if the canes are healthy and green. Over the course of several days, wash away the soil with a stream of water from the hose, being careful not to break off any new shoots.
V. Fall Transplating
One uses practically the same method with the exception that you don't prune back so severely and, of course, that you don't uncover until the following spring.
Fall transplanting will initiate dormancy of the plant and, if timing is right, can thereby actually enhance the plant's viability through the coming winter.
VI. Transplanting Potted Roses
Do this after all danger of frost is past, or about the middle of May until June first.
VII. Transplanting Shrubs & Old Garden Roses
The above mentioned methods of transplanting apply to most roses but there are a few exceptions. With shrubs and old garden roses (O.G.R.'s) the root system is usually much larger and stronger so that much more space is required. Some help with digging and lifting may also be needed. Many of these roses are like small trees. In some instances, if the bush is very large it will not transplant very well and often declines or dies. It would be best to obtain a new one, if still available, or take a cutting and start a new plant. Any OGR 10 - 15 years old would be best left in place. The roots are too large and woody, and at the same time, brittle, and do not regenerate well.
VIII. Transplanting Miniatures
The Minis can be moved at any time of the year due to the ease with which one can contain their entire root structure. Pruning after transplanting, however, will help to stimulate strong, new growth.
IX. Summary
DO one rose bush at a time only.
DO Be Organized
DO have the new bed or location ready before digging the plant
DO have all tools and equipment ready.
DO have water at hand.
DO work quickly.
DO ask for help if you have many bushes to be moved.
DO prune the plants by 1/3 to 2/3; remember, the bush will be
shocked when dug up and will be unable to sustain its
original amount of leaves.
DO cover or hill up all transplanted roses for several days.
DO NOT try to transplant more than one bush at a time.
DO NOT transplant on a cold, windy, or hot day.
DO NOT expose the roots for a long time to air, sun, wind or cold
and certainly not to freezing rain.
DO NOT leave newly transplanted bushes uncovered.
DO NOT fertilize during transplanting (except bone meal).
Hilde Mulbury, a former nurse, specially trained in pediatrics was born in Germany and came to the United States in 1960. She is past president of the Greater Cincinnati Rose Association and currently president of the Leonacres Garden Club. Among her many interests are: bird watching, gourmet cooking, music, gardening, rose growing, exhibiting, and arranging.
