How do i move roses from one part of the yard to another?
Question:The last owner of the house i just bought has some nice roses at the end of the front yard, but the neighborhood kids like to pluck the rosebuds while i am gone or at work. How do i move the roses from one part of the yard to another without having them die on me? Can I just cut the stems and put them in the ground and hope they grow roots lol. As you can tell I know nothing about gardening, please help.
Answers:
It is best to wait until they become dormant in the fall. Typically after the first freeze. After that you can move them with little to no stress or shock. First prepare the site where you want to move the rose by digging a 24"X24" hole. The bigger the hole the better they like it. Then add a layer of manure in the bottom of the hole and then a layer of amended top soil. Amend the top soil by adding some peat and bone meal. After you have the hole ready then carefully dig out the rose. Start by pruning your rose back to about 2ft and then cut a circle with your shovel about 1ft from the trunk all the way around the bush.
After you do that then go back in with the shovel and start lifting the soil with the rose by pulling down on the shovel handle. Do this all the way around the bush and you will begin to loosen the soil and separate the roots from it. After you get the rose out make sure the roots are a healthy creamy white (cut off any brown or black roots) and then transfer it to it's new home. If the roots are bare then build a mound in the bottom of the hole to spread the roots out and then back fill the hole to 1/2 and water. Fill in the rest of the hole with the top soil and water again. Remember to water your rose frequently over the winter months and in spring you should have a perfect plant that doesn't even know it's been moved. Good luck. You can move it now, but it will suffer shock and could die. However, with a little TLC and daily water for two weeks it should pull through. Just follow the same directions if you want to move it now, but I don't recomend it.
I can't even begin to add more than spytfyre mentioned.
My neighbor is wanting to prune her roses right now because they are very spindly, and I did not have a clue what to tell her. I grow all kinds of plants with great success but roses I am definitely not good at. I have moved plants when you are not even supposed to,so I don't know why I am afraid of roses.
So, thanks, Spytfyre for your great answer which is my answer as well.
Dig them out by lifting the whole system carefully (make sure that you''re careful or you will tear the roots). Transplant in Spring or Fall. I would let it be until fall, but if you're in a hurry, just remember to fertilize. Take as much of the old dirt with the plant as you can, it's used to it. Trim it back, because the plant will go into shock. Then wait and see if it wants to flower in the new location... good luck!
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