Rose Planting – How To Do It Properly
Last updated by Annie on: Wednesday, Mar 3rd 2010
Hi, . When it comes to rose planting correctly, you really do need to know a little more than simply digging a hole, even if that hole is the right depth, (see below).
One of the major criteria for planting roses correctly, one that is more often than not ignored or simply not known about, is the location is the rose plant. Yes that’s right, it’s all about the location, the best location possible and there are a few issues you need to consider when choosing that prime garden real estate for your roses.
Does your location receive enough sunlight? Did you know that even plants that like the shade require about four hours of direct sunlight every day to be at their best and most species of roses like to receive as much as six hours of sunlight per day. Depending on where you live you might be looking out the window now and thinking that sounds a lot. But don’t worry.
Moving on from location, we look at soil. Roses really like soil that is full of nutrients. Why? Because in order to grow the best possible roses they need to feed a lot. To make sure you have the best possible soil available to provide these nutrients you need check that you do not have too much sand or clay in your soil. Again, don’t worry. There’s no need to get test tubes out and start performing any scientific tests for this. All you need to do is go out into your garden and, at your desired location, pick some soil up in your hand. Squeeze it together in your hand. Here’s what you want to see when you unclench your hand. Good nutritious soil will stay in the mold but will crumble away. However, if you have too much sand, when you unclench the mold it won’t hold very well and the soil will crumble away too easily. Too much clay in the soil and the mold will hold together and won’t crumble away easily.
Continuing slightly on the joint themes of location and nutrition, you should also bear in mind what other plants and more importantly, trees, are in the vicinity of your roses. This is important to consider because other plants and trees obviously need to extract their own nutrients and water from the soil and in doing so, can deprive your roses of what they need. Don’t forget also, that the roots of other plants and trees can grow deep and wide. Any roots you come across when preparing the hole for your roses will most likely severely restrict the amount of water and nutrients the rose plants will receive thus hampering their growth.
As with most things in life, there are a few exceptions to this rule. A small number of shrubs and climbing roses don’t mind sharing their soil too much, but as a general rule, try to keep your roses plants away from other plants and trees.
At the very beginning of this article I mentioned the depth of the planting hole. So as we have the main considerations of planting sorted let’s take a quick look at a few of the more basic elements and we’ll start with that depth issue.
Firstly, look at the rose plant, including the roots, or the pot it came in, as a whole because what you need to dig should be a little larger than the plants root system or larger than the pot it’s currently in. Secondly, consider where you live, your climate. Do you live in a warm or cool climate? As a generally rule, if you live in a cool climate, dig your hole a little bit deeper. If you are unsure as to far much deeper you should go, speak to your local garden center.
Irrespective of the depth, a good tip is to move the soil around in the bottom of the hole, almost as if you were fluffing it up. In other words, you don’t want the soil to be hard packed.
Next, sprinkle some compost into the bottom of the hole together with a source of phosphorus such as bone meal. Due to its long term benefits this helps the plant to develop a healthy root system.
Next, place the rose plant into the hole and don’t forget to space out the roots a little. As you begin to replace the soil back into the hole, ensure you do so gently and that the soil settles evenly between the roots. Before you have completely covered the roots, give them a water, then refill the remainder of the hole. When full slightly tap down the top soil so it is not too loose then give the rose plant another watering.
Congratulations! You’ve chosen the perfect location for your roses and carried out your rose planting correctly. You’ve provided them with the sunlight they need. Not allowed other plants and trees to remove the vital nutrients and water the roses need from the soil. You’ve dug the correct depth of hole and filled it in properly. A good day’s work!
Take care and enjoy your roses
Annie
