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Intro: |
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| Root ball: Plant roots tangled with dirt in a ball shape--plants are often shipped with their roots protected this way. |
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| If you can't plant your rose right away, you can keep bare roots in water for several days, but be sure to change the water daily. |
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Now you're ready to make your chosen rose part of your garden. Follow these guidelines to plant it: Soak the root ball or bare roots of your new rose plant, especially if it was shipped to you, because the roots dehydrate easily. If your rose bush arrived with bare roots, experts advise you soak it for a full day. Use either a tablespoon or two (15 to 30 milliliters) of liquid vitamin B-1 (found in health food stores) dissolved in a gallon (3.8 liters) of water, or a commercial transplant solution (follow directions for how much to use).
Trim broken roots back to solid tissue and cut back the root branches by a half-inch (1.3 centimeters) to encourage new growth. Prune the rose branches back to 6 or 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters). (For how to prune, see Step 4.) By cutting back the canes at this stage, you're encouraging the roots to establish themselves first, so that once the canes start growing, leafing, and flowering in earnest, the roots are able to supply them with the energy they need to be healthy. Create a cone of dirt at the bottom of your hole to spread and support bare roots, helping them go in different directions in their search for food. If you're planting a root ball, you don't need to do this, and you should leave the roots undisturbed. Protect your plant if you live in a cold zone by placing the budded union of the bush (where the main stalks meet) 2 inches (5 centimeters) beneath the ground's surface. This helps insulate the plant during winter.
Fill the hole around the plant with your amended soil, tamping it down with your foot as you fill to eliminate air pockets. When the hole is half filled, water with a mixture of vitamin B-1 and water (about 2 tablespoons per gallon, or 30 milliliters per 3.8 liters) or transplant solution. Fill in the rest of the hole and tamp it down to create a 1-inch (2.5-centimeter) saucer-like indentation around the plant. Water the indentation until the soil has the consistency of runny pudding. Mound 6 inches (15 centimeters) of soil around the base of the bush. This will retain moisture and get the plant off to a good start. Remove the soil mound after three weeks. You should see budding eyes and the beginnings of new branches. If any of the wood is gray or dead, prune it back to green wood.
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Plant the rose bush
