What is a 'bareroot' rose?
It's a dormant rose bush which has been dug up by the grower, soil removed from roots, canes trimmed, usually packaged in sawdust in a plastic wrapping.
Why plant bareroot roses?
1. Selection: Many more varieties are available during bareroot season both at your local nursery and online.
2. Easier to Plant: Instead of wrestling with a 5 gallon plant, 1 1/2' to 3' tall and full of thorns, a bareroot plant is only about a foot tall with no soil attached.
3. Cheaper!: Bareroot roses are often less than half the cost of a rose bush in a nursery container.
4. Less Transplant Shock: Because the plant is dormant, it is less likely to experience transplant shock.
How to Plant Bareroot Roses
1. Unwrap plant, shake off sawdust, trim off any damaged roots, and soak in bucket of water while preparing planting hole.
2. Dig hole 2' wide and 1' deep. Amend removed soil with 1 cubic foot compost and granular fertilizer (follow fertilizer instructions).
3. Make 10" cone of soil in hole, spread roots of rose over cone of soil making sure graft (bump on main stem above crown)is above surrounding ground level. Back fill hole about three fourths full.
4. Fill hole slowly with water until muddy looking. Wiggle rose bush to settle in. Continue to backfill until soil is even with surrounding soil. Make watering basin with additional soil and water plant again.
Bareroot Rose Sources
Two of my favorite online bareroot rose sources are Regan Nursery and Jackson and Perkins:
Careful, it's addicting! I have over 100 roses!
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