Over the last few years I have noticed something very odd. I will plant a new rose, it “seems” to be settling in okay, but the following year when it’s time to prune, I find it hasn’t even rooted itself into the ground! I can literally just pull it out like I planted it yesterday. No feeder roots, nothing. Growth is very poor if at all on these also.
I’ve been growing roses for a long time, and I have never had this issue. The only thing different ‘today’ vs ‘back when’, is I no longer add a handful of bone meal to the planting hole.
When I buy a pre-potted rose (from a reputable nursery), those have feeder roots already going by the time I plant them. They are growing quite well. The only thing I see them doing is top dressing with a slow release fertilizer like Osmocote.
My soil is native blended with plenty of compost over the years, even potting soil in some beds.
Roses are far too expensive to have them sit, sulk, and die. What on earth might I be doing wrong?
When you plant your bare root rose, do you cover the canes with some type of mulch to keep them from drying out? Do you soak them for at least one day before planting? First, using something like Wiltpruf to coat the canes will help prevent cane desiccation, second, the big rose growers recommend to cut back the canes to 6 inches or so before planting, to help prevent the canes from drying out. I have used FoggIt nozzles to mist the canes and the mulch to keep them moist. The other practice you might want to try is to apply some type of product that will encourage fast root growth, e.g., Natural Alternative’s Protelizer seed & plant activator and or Senn’s Seaumic.
If the canes dry out there is little chance a rose will grow or even live.
Yes, to most of that. I don’t use an anti-dessicant product, but I’ve never needed to. I’m in the PNW, we get plenty of rain, and I am diligent about watering. That is not my issue. It’s like the plant never breaks dormancy. Maybe it sends up one or 2 spindly canes, but that’s all.
I am used to having first year roses that are in bloom along with everything else by June-ish! That take off and grow without a worry.
Would cutting the roots a touch perhaps “remind” them they need to grow?
Maybe I need to go back to mixing in a handful of organic fertilizer at the time of planting. Right now I just top dress and lightly scratch it in, or let the rain break it down for me.
And maybe I should spring for a soil test. I just don’t know…
Have you contacted the vendor? Since you did everything properly, perhaps the rose dried out when the vendor had it in storage. Sometimes a rose is a dud.
I would definite do a soil test. The only time I never had feeder roots was when my soil was too wet, it was an entire section of my yard. Though out of the 8 roses I planted, I had to move five, I lost two, but one is doing great and is the only one still in the ground in that section! Now everything is raised or in pots over there. If bonemeal worked before, I would definitely try it again or you could pot it up for a few months and then put it in the ground. Are potted roses growing next to these barefoot roses or is it different areas of the yard?
They are over my yard, various areas. There is no one area, no one vendor, no ‘one’ of anything.
It’s the most bizarre thing I’ve ever had happen. Everything else I grow does just fine.
Also, own root roses seem to be doing fine. They are slow growing, but at least they grow.
Only thing I could add, if there are possible moles or gophers eating the roots. Are the canes green when you cut them, so to the plant is still alive?
Yes, the plants are alive. It’s not critters. It’s like they never come out of dormancy. I might get a leaf or 2, a small spindly stem, but that’s all.
One loose theory I have is planting season. It used to be I would get my orders in mid to late February - perfect planting time for my climate. Now, the vendors want to pick their shipping time for you, and it leaves me scrambling to get them in the ground and then dealing with it getting too warm for their state of growth.
I know darn well the “good” nurseries are getting their bareroots early, because by the time they put them out to sell, they’ve started to leaf out and when you take them home to plant them roots have already developed.