Rose Planting
Rose planting involves more than just understanding how deep to dig a hole for the rose to go in and whether to fertilize right away or to wait. The first thing that needs to be paid close attention to in the planting of a rose, is where it should be planted location wise. Location can be vital to a success of a rose plant. There are few things to know about selecting the location for your roses.
Make sure the place you plant your particular roses gets the right amount of direct sun. Most of the species take at minimum 6 hours of sun the is direct and not filtered per day. Even the species that tolerate shade will need at least 4 hours of direct sun to thrive.
Is your soils rich enough in the area you want to plant so that your roses can be healthy? Roses have big appetites and need to have plenty of nutrients in the soil. They also don’t like the soil to have a lot of sand or clay. A good test of the soil to tell whether it is too sandy or clay-like, is to clump the soil up with your hand. If your soil holds its shape with no crumbling, it contains too much of the clay. If your soil crumbles too fast and doesn’t hold its shape, it contains too much of the sand. The right soil consistency should hold its shape by be able to easily crumble. Your soil should have too much of either chalk or limestone, it also shouldn’t have a high level of acid.
Is the location where you are thinking about planting the rose too near to other plants or trees? Many types of the trees and other plants could pull the nutrients and water away from the the roots of the roses if they are too close. If while digging your planting hole you see a lot of roots this is a sign you may have trouble . There are several climbing roses and shrub roses that can be the exception, but for the most part rose plants prefer to be mixed with just other roses and the plants that are non-invasive.
So after selecting the ideal location for the rose plant, now you need to think about just how far down the hole should get dug. The hole should be dug larger than the pot size the plant came in, or the circumference of the plant’s root system. How deep you dig depends on which part of the country you live in due to climate conditions. In the colder climates you need to got a bit deeper when planting your roses. It is smart to ask either rose growers or a nursery in your area what is the correct depth for your roses. Depths may vary from area to area, but the dirt needs to be loose on the bottom of all holes. It is also smart to put a bit of compost in the hole, along with some bone meal, this is high in Phosphorus, which slowly activates to promote good root growth.
When you place your plant in the hole spread the roots out slightly. Fill the hole in with the soil you dug out letting it settle good around its roots. Water good prior to adding the last few inches of the soil. Now put the last soil into your hole and pack it in slightly. Then water your plant again.
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