A Review Of How to Repot Roses

 

We are anticipating moving house in the future and i have decided that i want to take some of my outdoor plants with me. I especially want to take our roses. 

Some of the roses are already in pots as they were ones I inherited from my parents, others are in the ground and are either special to us or ones I "rescued" so have some emotional meaning for me.

 So the roses in pots really do need repotting now and I want to remove the roses in the ground soon as I have so much to do to prepare for the move, it is a task I can get done now. 

As it is a seasonal, time sensitive task I will not have much more opportunity to do it reliably and I do not want to leave it too near to the date we put the house on the market as I will be overrun with other jobs by then. 

I adore roses, i find there is nothing quite like their beautiful, often delicately scented blooms and I love the way they develop from tiny tight buds to full blooms.

 I understand many people find them a bit daunting to prune but it isn't that difficult. However I suspect our buyers will be people who want a simple easy garden so wherever I can I will take them with me. I am leaving some as they are way to big to move, but the smaller ones are coming with us.   

There are two types of moving I need to do, one is to move from a pot to a larger pot, this move is less stressful for the rose. The other is from the ground to a container, which is a little more stressful and requires more care. Roses are very beautiful and very tough plants, but they can still suffer stress when their environment is changed. However with the correct timing, care and technique it can be done safely and steadily. 

Just a note I am discussing this in terms of being in the UK with its climate and temperatures. If you are not in the UK please find out when roses are in their dormant phase, never when they are actively growing or blooming and only move during this time of year. 

When to Repot Roses

So because timing is so vital part of this moving process for roses in the UK we can only move roses in the late Autumn to the very early Spring, so around November to March. It is very important not to move roses when the ground is frozen. Also never attempt to do it in late Spring or summer during new active growth or blooming.

If we really missed the best part of the year to repot, it can still be done, but the rose will need a lot more care and attention and this is far from ideal if we are already busy with other moving house jobs. 

Wherever you live it is best to do this work when the rose is dormant, so not actively growing or blooming.  

Tools And Equipment Required

• A sharp spade or fork- if digging out of the ground 
• Secateurs. I use Wolf Garten secateurs  
• A large deep pot. Roses like a deep container with good drainage. 
• Good quality compost
• Perlite for aeration and drainage
• Mulch. I discuss The Benefits Of Mulch here 
• A garden trowel to mix the compost and perlite together
• Mesh or a broken crock to place over the drainage holes. 
• Good quality thick or thorn resistant gloves. These are essential and the thicker and more thorn resistant the better! I even sometimes wear 2 pairs of gloves one thinner inner pair a plus a thick pair on top. 
• Eye protection. I use wrap around sunglasses or protective eyewear as the last thing you want is thorns or whippy stems in your eyes. This is essential. 
• Clothing that covers your arms and body. As it will be cold here that is no problem layering up and wearing a thick jacket to protect ourselves for thorns and whippy stems.

How Much Time Does It Take To Repot Roses

As this can be heavy work and is not the easiest garden job, I would recommend doing the whole of one rose first, so water a few the day before but aim to do one rose at a time.

 You may find that one rose at a time is enough. Do not attempt to over do it as you cannot leave a rose partially out of its pot or not settled in properly. I usually allow an hour per rose if moving from pot to pot, longer if you are digging out of the ground. 

 Personally I suggest a mug of tea, coffee or hot chocolate after each rose is completed, then reassess if you want to do another one that day! 

How to Move a Rose To A Bigger Pot

I generally try to repot plants in pots every few years and especially if I see roots coming out the base of the container which generally means it is pot bound, or it becomes difficult to water them. If the growth of the rose is poor, it looks sickly, or if roots appear on the surface it is becoming more urgent. 

We pot up in to a container one size up usually. If it is significantly bigger the plant may find a bit of trouble establishing and so just one size up is best. 

Roses like a rich but well drained soil. I am using a peat free general compost and adding in about 20% perlite for air and drainage and to keep the container a bit lighter. I used to place a layer of gravel at the base for drainage, but recent thinking is that is not necessary and can be counter productive. 

This year I am seriously considering repotting not into pots but in fabric heavy duty fabric planters with handles. As these shrubs will be moving with us these will be lighter and easier to move and they last around 2-3 years which should cover the moving period. They are considerably less expensive than pots as well. 

The Rose Moving Plan 

1. Water the rose. The day before water the rose, just enough for it to be moist, not waterlogged. This helps to make it easier to get the rose out the pot and reduces the shock on the plant.

2. Prune the rose. I like to do this next before moving the plant so that it is smaller and easier to handle and a few less thorns.

 This involves, with most shrub and standard roses taking about a third of the growth off, removing dead stems, crossing stems and then reducing the plant by about a third.

 If its a climbing rose just trim back the canes a little to be comfortable for you to handle. Once is more than enough to be smacked by a stray whippy rose cane believe me ! 

It is also useful at this stage to gently tie up the canes or stems gently with rope as roses are thorny and it is kinder to our skin to keep them out of the way as much as possible.

 Some people can tolerate thorn bites but I cannot and to be honest it is always safety first when dealing with roses.

 In addition do wear eye protection, it is simply not worth a whippy stem or a thorn getting into the eyes, do not take that chance. 

I usually find some brown parts of the stems so trim these off with secateurs. Some crossing stems are also common so best to take one off so that they do not rub each other and cause friction and a wound or infection to get in. Make sure to make clean cuts. 

3. Prepare the new planter. especially if it is a large pot , I am repotting into 30, 50 and 75 litre planters so it is best to place it in the final position before adding compost and the rose. It will be heavy afterwards. Once in position place a crock or mesh over any drainage holes, just to prevent them getting blocked by the compost mix. Then mix the compost and perlite and place about a third into the pot. 

4. Remove the rose from its pot

The easiest way is to tip the pot on its side onto a old towel or blanket if the pot is more delicate and gently ease the plant out. This is also kinder to your back. If it is pot  bound I usually end up gently tapping the sides of the pot with my heavily gloved hands to loosen it up. Be very careful if it is delicate material and be careful with your hands too, just tap gently. 

I would  not recommend trying to lift a rose vertically out of a pot. They are usually surprisingly heavy and it is hard to get a good grip on a thorny plant without doing some damage to yourself. I speak from painful experience! 

In one case I found to my surprise that one of the roses had actually rooted through the pot and into the ground! In this case I had to carefully and cleanly cut the root before I could move the rose out the pot. Then I had to dig the root out!  

5. Check the condition of the roots, these are the most important parts of the plant. If any look dead or are rotten or mushy, cut them out with sharp secateurs. 

6.Gently lift the rose, with help if you need it, roses can be heavier than you might think. In fact I would always advise getting help with this task. Position the rose in the new container so the grafting point which is usually easily seen by a join or bumpy part of the stem sits just above soil level. Then fill around the rose carefully with the compost mix, gently firming it around the rose. I usually leave about 2 inches free at the top of the container for easy watering. If you fill to the brim there is no room for watering. 

7. Then water the rose thoroughly until water runs through the drainage holes. After watering I usually find the soil settles somewhat and I need to add more compost plus perlite mix to the top of the pot. 

How To Lift A Rose From The Ground and Move It Into A Container

You need to be more careful doing this, but if you really want to take the rose with you it is possible. The type of soil you have may make a difference as to how easy this is. We have heavy clay soil and digging it is a workout at the best of times, a lighter soil will be easier.

  Also if the rose is older and well established it may have a very deep root run. More than a few years old it gets harder to move. If the rose is very big or very old you may want to weigh up if taking cuttings might be kinder to you and the rose. 

We are in this position with two roses, one is very old, over 30 years old and I do feel the shock might be too much, so instead I am taking cuttings from this old rose. The other is an iceberg climber, it is a very vigorous climber and huge now. It would be a difficult task. 

I will prune it but I really feel it is a big job for us to move it into a pot and kinder to the rose to leave it in the ground where it is happy, so I will take cuttings that can come with us. 

The Rose Moving From The Ground Plan 

1.Pruning. So again we will prune the rose by around a third

2. Dig a wide circle all around the rose with a sharp spade . The idea is to lift as much of the root ball as possible and to not disturb the roots. Do bear in mind that a root ball on an established rose can be very heavy. In general a digging range about twelve inches around is usually ok. You will invariably break some roots, it is inevitable but not a disaster, in most cases the rose will cope. 

3. Lift the rose carefully and ideally with two people. You will need to slide a spade or two under the rose and lift at the same time. This can be very heavy and difficult work with a big established rose. It is a good idea in my experience to have an old sack or compost bag nearby to lay the rose on if you need  a short break between lifting and potting. 

4.Then place into the new container as we did for the pot to pot transfer and of course water well and top up with the compost mix and mulch as required. You will need to watch it carefully over the coming weeks and months for signs of stress and be very vigilant about watering and feeding . 

After Care For Any Potted Or Repotted Rose

•  Feed from April to August, which is in UK the main growing period  with a rose fertiliser. The compost does have some feed in it but roses are especially hungry plants so always need the additional and regular feeding. Now in a container you are fully responsible for all its food and water as it can no longer gain anything from the ground.  
•  Check the drainage holes are not blocked every so often as roses hate wet roots and you do risk rotting roots if they stay wet for long periods of time. 
• Mulch the rose after repotting and periodically to conserve water and reduce weeds. 
• Once roses are in containers we are completely responsible for their source of water and food. Roses need both regularly and are usually heavy feeders so it is now up to us to provide this for them. 

There are things to consider when moving house with plants  which I discuss in my article  Advantages and Disadvantages Of Moving House With Your  Garden Plants. 

With care and good handling roses can be potted on successfully and do well. Is this my favourite gardening task? No, not really, we have to do it in the cold and it is thorny and heavy, slow, hard work. However the blooms are so gorgeous and so it is well worth it. In a few months when I have forgotten the thorn bites and see the beauty of the roses, it will bring me great happiness.

For us we are doing this as a temporary measure until we can get them in the ground and we want to keep the inherited roses and take them with us when we move house. If you would like roses in containers as a permanent feature it is easier to buy roses that are smaller, minature or check those that will be happy long term in containers. Either way roses have a special place in my heart. 

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