Avant Gardener: Consider moving roses that have outgrown their space

  • By Kyle Valentini
  • January 2, 2012
  • 299
                        
Summary: Winter is the best time to move plants that need more light or have outgrown their space. You can easily dig up plants before the ground freezes and place them in a new location. Roses can be moved any time of year but in winter they will experience less stress and recover more quickly even if the root system is disrupted. Roses can be moved from one location to another any time of year but I prefer to do it in the winter before the ground freezes. There are several reasons to move a rose bush with the number one reason being you have tired of the thorns puncturing your flesh every time you walk by. If you suspect the rose bush is not getting enough light or perhaps shading other plants that require full sun, these are good reasons to move it as well. For the better half of last summer I knew the rose bush had outgrown its spot in the flower bed on the east side of the house but left it alone because it was thriving like I had never seen. A Knock-Out variety with endless red blooms that started in May and lasted until after the first frost this rose bush was something else. With the mild December we just had, the rose bush is still full and green with a few hips finally developing. Until the winter weather stops teasing us and becomes real winter weather, this rose bush might not become fully dormant at all but it doesn’t need to be dormant to move like some plants. The new location for the rose bush is only a few feet from where it currently lives. I never imagined this plant would ever get so large when I first planted it several years ago. I was able to keep the branches trimmed enough to prevent them from interfering with the brick path that leads from the driveway to the back porch until last summer when it just kept growing and growing. It’s not going to be easy to move it because of its size but with a little caution and a large wheel barrel it should be possible. Moving roses is best on an overcast day. Even in the cool of winter the plant will fare better if the sun is not bright. The less stress on the plant the quicker it will recover from being disrupted. Begin by digging a new hole for the rose bush. This will allow you to quickly move the plant from one hole to the next very quickly. Dig around the base of the rose bush. Imagine the root ball is larger than it really is so you are less apt to do any damage. When moving the rose bush, be sure to dig up as much of the root ball as possible. If you happen to destroy some of the root system, remove a proportionate amount of top growth to compensate. Place the rose bush in the new hole as soon as possible from the time you removed it from the soil. Water it well and do not fertilize it. Fertilizer encourages growth. Allow the plant time to rest and recover. It will begin to grow in spring and then fertilizing can be done. To prevent photosynthesis from occurring you can remove any remaining leaves from the canes. If the rose bush was healthy before the move it should recover quickly. This time of year most plants don’t even realize they have been moved. If the plant does show signs of stress, trim back the branches so they are the same length as the root system. This may seem drastic but it will prevent further damage to the plant.


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