Rose Care

Click here to link to several articles written especially for the American Rose Society Web Pages. You may e-mail the authors to ask further questions.

Consulting Rosarians are available to answer questions about many topics.
If you have a specific question, click here to send an e-mail question to an ARS Consulting Rosarian in your area. Please be sure to include your city and state with your questions.

Those of you residing in the Grand Valley can go straight to a local resource. We at GVRS are privileged to have four of our own members certified by ARS as Consulting Rosarians.

GVRS’ ARS Consulting Rosarians

Before planting a bare-root rose, rinse the plant under a stream of water from a garden hose to clean off any bacteria or fungal spores. Then immerse the roots in a bucket of water for at least one hour (but for no longer than a day) to replenish the plant’s moisture.

Prune any broken or injured roots just above the spot of injury, and trim all canes that are damaged, or of smaller size than the diameter of a pencil. Return the plant to the water until the planting hole has been prepared.

Dig a hole that is wider by half and six-inches deeper than the rose you are planting. Place several handfuls of peat moss at the bottom of the hole. Divide the soil that has been dug from the hole, placing half in an area that can be used for further mixing. This will be the improved soil.

Add bone meal or another source f phosphorous to this soil, referring to the directions given on the package – usually three to four pounds per 100 square feet of soil, which will translate to a couple of handfuls in the establishing of one rose bush. Phosphorous is difficult to supply to the roots once the planting has been done, so this is the best time to take a little tome with the math.

Return enough of the improved soil to the hole to form a mound which is tall enough to support the roots of the plant as you work around them.

Lay a spade across the hole to mark ground level and then set the plant into the hole, spreading its roots out evenly all around. Make sure that the plant’s bud union will be just above ground-level.

Fill the hole with more of the improved soil, and tamp it down gently with your hands. Then fill the hole with water and allow the water to drain down. Once the water appears to be gone, fill the hole to the top with more soil, making sure that the bud union remains in place, at ground level.

Mound additional soil around the bottom of the plant, and up to within three inches of the tops of the canes. This will keep them from drying out while the plant is getting established. Check over two or three days for new growth. When buds sprout, usually after two weeks, gradually and gently remove the soil mound with your fingers. Loosen the plant’s name tab so that it does not constrict the cane as it grows.

“The Complete Garden Guide: A Comprehensive Reference For All Your Garden Needs.” Time Life Books.