This is a great time of year to take a look at bare root rosebush care and planting. Many of us have either already received some bare root rosebushes or will be within the next several weeks.
When I first get my bare root roses, I open up the packing box and check each one out thoroughly. Take a good look at each rosebush from the tip of the canes to the bottom of each root. Broken or moldy looking root areas should be pruned off. Prune back broken canes to good healthy looking tissue if need be.
Many of the bare root rosebushes will be in fine shape and nice looking specimens. Some, unfortunately, will not. If there are bare root roses that have some badly broken canes, canes with splits or lesions upon them, or the roots are damaged in some way or are covered with mold or fungus, contact the customer service folks at the company you ordered them from and let them know. Many times, the company does not know what condition roses may have been shipped out in. They do have standards, yes, but when things get very busy trying to get the orders out, sometimes those standards can slip. I have received bare root roses that were not packed correctly and, thus, were dry as an old bone laying out in the desert sun when they arrived! Some of the roots snapped off as they were removed from the packing box. There are, at times, some roots that are damaged and it will not hurt the bush to just prune the damaged portion off.
I like to have at least two five-gallon buckets of water ready at the time of inspection of new bare root rosebushes. One is for a quick dip rinse and the other is for soaking the bare root roses. In the soaking bucket, I have lukewarm to cool water up to about two inches of the top of the bucket. I like to add a tablespoon or two of a product called Super Thrive to the soaking water, as well as a “tea bag” of the Haven Brand Moo Poo Tea soaking in there. Place the bare root rosebushes into the bucket and allow to soak for 24 to 48 hours. More than one soaking bucket may be needed so as not to overcrowd the rosebushes. The soaking is very important to allow the root system to soak up plenty of water to get them well hydrated and ready for optimum performance once planted in their new homes. Submerging the union area of the canes partially or totally will not hurt a thing and can help their moisture level as well.
Once they have been nicely soaked, it is time for planting. No matter what area you live in, cold climate or warm climate, I still recommend planting the rosebushes with the union area of the canes at least two inches below what will be the final grade line around the rosebushes. In cold climates, this helps in their protection from temperature fluctuations during the winter season. In the warmer climates, this will give the bushes a solid base so that they are not as easily whipped about by the wind. Wind rocking can do some real damage to the root system of rosebushes, not to mention the total uprooting in strong sustained winds. If planted when the weather may still dip down very low, mound the planting soil up onto the canes or place a wall-o-water unit around/over them for protection until the weather evens out.
Once planted, I prune two to three inches of the canes off and seal the ends with either Elmer’s white multipurpose glue or the Tacky Glue from a hobby/craft store. The fun part then begins in waiting for the rosebushes to send out their new growth leading to those beautiful bloom smiles!
Tips
: Blending some Kelp Meal into the planting soil for the bare root rosebushes gives them a nice snack to get them growing well. Water the rosebushes in after planting with some water that has a root stimulator product in it too.
