How to Plant a Bare Rooted Rose Bush in a Pot

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posted on 16 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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When you have purchased a bare-rooted rose plant from the nursery or garden centre, it is important to know how to plant it well so that it gets a good head start. Nurseries purchase bare rooted rose bushes direct from the grower who has already taken the care to trim the roots to fit into a potting container; this article provides the instructions for planting the rose in your chosen container.

Steps

Check for the following signs at purchase time: Fresh, plump roots Moist plant

If you have a dry bare rooted rose plant, soak it prior to planting. Put it into a bucket of water for a few hours.

Prepare the pot. Select a pot of a suitable size. Cover the drainage hole with shards of broken terracotta or small pebbles.

Half fill the pot with potting soil suitable for roses. Create a slight mound for the rose bush to sit on.

Place the bare rooted rose bush into the pot. Ensure that the bud union is level with the rim of the pot: The roots of a bare rooted rose plant will be pruned so that their roots are half the distance of the container when the bud union sits at the rim of the pot. If your bud union and roots aren't aligning this way, your pot is too large or small.

Gently shift the roots around the pot so that they are sitting evenly around the space and cascade over the mound.

Fill in with a little more potting mix and stop to firm the soil around the roots. Continue to fill the rest of the pot, leaving 2–3 centimeter (1.2 in) of soil from the top.