The spring gardening season calls for the planting of rose bushes. You may want to replace old bushes or add to the plants already in your garden.
You may be a new homeowner and are planning a new garden entirely. Whatever the case, there are tried and proven steps that lead to successful rose growth.
Selection Of New Rose Bushes
In selecting the new bushes, be sure to get the best plants available. The price difference is not worth considering when plant growth and production of blooms enter the picture.
A poor bush will take as much space as a well-developed one, and the yield will not be nearly as satisfactory at blooming time.
If you order your roses, buy from a reputable dealer, choosing the best grade he offers.
These are usually select, number one, 2-year bushes. If you buy locally, select husky plants which have several canes.
Consider The Root System
If the plants are individually packaged, you cannot tell much about the root system, but a fair judgment is that a bush with a mass of strong canes will likely have a good root system to have produced the growth.
A seemingly senseless move will be to prune these canes back and even remove the weak ones severely.
What the grower is after is the root system and a husky base from which prize blooms may come.
Related: Moving Rose Plants
Digging Holes
A good procedure is to dig the holes several days before the bushes are obtained. Make the holes about 30” inches across and 24” inches deep.
It’s a good idea to fill the holes with water a couple of times, a day or so before planting, to make sure the soil is well-dampened.
Planting Day
On planting day, assemble the plants and all equipment. Remove the packing from the plants, examine for damage, and place them in a bucket or tub of muddy water.
Leave the plants in this for a couple of hours to soak the roots thoroughly and give them a good coating of mud.
Pruning Time
When ready to set out plants, take pruning shears and cut back all canes to seven or eight inches from the crown. Then, cut out the weak canes entirely.
When pruning, cut the canes on a slant above the eyes or buds which point outward.
Thus, the new growth will be to the outside of the plant, and the bush will spread, which will not be the case if the buds point inward.
Examine the roots carefully and trim off all broken ones. If roots are dead, trim back to live wood. Do this root trimming carefully to remove as little as possible.
Put tree wound compound on all spots where canes were cut off to seal and prevent moisture loss and to prevent insects from entering the soft center of the canes.
Prepare The Hole For Planting
Replace the plant in the muddy water and prepare the hole for planting.
Place about a gallon of peat moss in the bottom of the hole, add a shovelful of soil and mix thoroughly. Next, add a bit more soil and form a mound in the center of the hole.
Shape it nicely, take the rose bush, place it on top of the mound, and spread roots around it in the hole.
See that the crown is just about even with the soil level of the garden, preferably a bit higher.
The plant will settle as the soil firms down. Crumble the soil and work around the roots, and fill the hole to within 4” or 5” inches of the top.
Hold the brush firmly with your hands and pack soil around the roots by walking around in the hole.
Fertilizer Application
Now is the time to apply fertilizer.
The roots should all be covered so they will not come in contact with the plant food.
With us, a favorite fertilizer is cottonseed meal, about a pound to the plant, sprinkled in the hole around the outside edge.
Other good fertilizers are dried cow manure or complete chemical fertilizers.
After the fertilizer is added, add a couple of inches of soil, and then fill the hole with water, being careful not to disturb the position of the plant.
Let the water soak in, then finish filling the hole with soil. Pile soil up around the canes until only about 3” inches remain in sight.
Removing Of The Mound
This mound will keep the plant from drying out until the roots have become established and growth starts. It will also serve to prevent cold damage.
When the danger of cold has passed and growth starts, carefully remove the mound.
Keep the plants well watered, spray often, cultivate as needed, and look forward to a crop of beautiful blossoms.
44659 by W. C. Vanderwerth