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bare root roses just arrived - breaking dormancy already?

10 years ago

I'm pretty new at this so wanted to run this by everyone hereÃ¯Â¿Â½

Our order of several rugosas arrived last night as bare root plants (we're in southeastern PA) and they already seem to be growing - there is a little bit of green growth from the buds.

Is this okay? The roots are soaking as we speak and I plan to plant them later this afternoon. Maybe it's already too late to plant? Not like I could do anything about it anyway, but my understanding was that bare root plants need to be planted before breaking dormancyÃ¯Â¿Â½

Thanks for any advice or tips..

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Comments (4)

nicholas_delo 7a
10 years ago
I can't say as to whether or not this is "Ok".

I can say that I received a "Joseph's Coat" bare-root climber from Jackson Perkins that was already putting off a whole new cane. I worried about this, as I thought I heard that this is considered to be "bad".

I put the rose in the ground anyway and, as fate would have it, the temps immediately plummeted to 28 degrees for a few days. However, the cane still developed.

A few days ago, the temps plummeted again and the rose got snowed on and frozen for a little bit. But, this growth has stayed strong and is still going.

So I honestly don't know the real answer to your question. I can just say that I have received bare-root roses in the past, not just this year, that were breaking dormancy and have never experienced an issue with this.
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
10 years ago
For future reference, get the plants earlier.

Your forecast looks decent for getting the plants established. If dry, sunny weather shows up in the next few weeks, the roses should be covered with mulch or soil to conserve moisture while they are growing roots. After 4 to 6 weeks, the covering can be washed off with a hose.
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Ok, I think I'm going to be fine with them. I did call Palatine because our weather is making things difficult. It rained yesterday so I was afraid the ground was going to be too wet to plant, but I left it all day and the sun was shining and I went out there a little while ago and tested it and it seems dry enough. I did start soaking them this morning at 10am, and they're still sitting in water, but I asked if I could take them out of the water and just put them back in the plastic and hold them until tomorrow and plant and they said yes. Which is what I am going to do. They also said it's also a good idea to put them in the refrigerator, as Pickering used to direct me to do. She said the reason they don't suggest it, is because most people can't really fit them in their fridge. I have the room and I may do that tonight. Our forecast also calls for rain tomorrow late and again on Monday, so I really have to hit the right moment to plant. [g] She said if the weather really interferes that much I can take the whole bundle of 3 roses that are tied together and put them in a large pot and cover them over with soil up over the roots and the grafted bud union and water them in and hold them that way while waiting to plant. Thanks for sharing your experiences, it's always good to hear that people have had good results doing them several different ways.
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kidhorn
10 years ago
I would put them in the ground by the end of this weekend. Do what mad gallica says and if the canes aren't waxed and you have something like wilt-pruf, spray it on the roses just to be safe..

I think they'll be fine.

This post was edited by kidhorn on Fri, Apr 18, 14 at 13:35
portia
10 years ago
I've gotten bare roots in the past that broke dormancy. Just plant as soon as you can. I've also dosed them with B1 to help the roots lessen the shock a bit and never had a problem. Just make sure to water them deeply after they are in the ground and keep an eye on them over the next few weeks, if we get a good rain with a few cloudy days, I feel like it helps them establish as well.

Also I asked for the shipment earlier than the vendors preferred but that way I could control when to plant.

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