Trouble with transplanting a rose bush tree

12 years ago

I am completely new to gardening, so transplanting a rose bush tree has been a major challenge. Now I think I am in trouble with the current rose bush tree I'm trying to prevent it from dying or drying out. I need some expert help, please.

I recently transplanted a large rose bush tree that had been planted at my parents home for years. My parents lost their home and I wanted to save some of what they had in their garden. This rose bush is about 4-5 feet tall and has been in my parents garden for at least 7-10 years.

I had no clue what I was doing so I'm sure I made a lot of mistakes in the transplanting process. At least this is my deduction from what I've been reading in some of these forums. I bough a relatively large pot and used potting soil to transplant the rose bush tree into. I used the soil that was recommended to me by a gardening specialist at a local hardware store, and I also used a shock type mix as soon as I transplanted the tree. I placed rocks at the bottom of the pot to prevent the dirt from leaking out.

It's been a week and I'm noticing that the leaves on the rose bush tree are drying out, and I'm worried that the rose bush tree is dying. I don't want to loose this tree. It means a great deal to me for personal reasons. I need help in saving this tree. What can I do to save it? Am I in trouble? Please help!

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Comments (6)

michaelg
12 years ago
I would remove all the foliage immediately. The leaves are pumping water out of the canes and roots. Cut back any canes that are shriveling. Move to shade if possible.
seil zone 6b MI
12 years ago
It's not unusual for a rose to go into shock when it's transplanted. Since it is in a pot I would put it in morning sun only or in dappled sun and keep it well watered but not drowning. You've given it a transplant shock treatment so that's good. Do not fertilize it until it begins to grow again. It should take a couple of weeks for it to adjust and begin to grow new roots again. It will not leaf back out until it has grown new feeder roots to support the top growth. As long as the canes remain green and healthy looking do not worry about the leaves drying up. They will grow back.
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Just wanted to post a followup on this for anyone who may come across this thread in the future. I always hate finding a thread full of good information, but then not knowing if it actually worked or not. I replaced the trees that died, and the new ones are doing great. Here's what I did differently. (I know that for some of you, these may be the most obvious things in the world, but some of us are still learning, even from our really stupid, obvious mistakes). - I waited til it cooled down. It got cooler earlier than I expected, so I was able to do the transplants a couple weeks ago. - Smaller trees. I did still really need the height, so I went with 6-8' tall trees (some are about 9', actually), but I got much smaller caliper (trunk diameter) trees. I tried for no more than about 1.5" caliper, measured 6 inches above the root flare (some are a little closer to 1.75"). They're definitely much less full, but they'll get the job done until they fill in and grow up a little. It helps a lot that I found out that for screening purposes, eastern red cedars can be planted as close as 4' apart. Bigger, fuller trees really aren't needed at that spacing. - No starter fertilizer. These are trees, not grass. I used some Fertilome Root Stimulator & Starter solution (per the manufacturer's instructions) when I planted, and may add some Superthrive in a couple weeks, just to get the roots really going before winter kicks in. - Much better care of the root balls. I didn't make perfect root balls, as such - after reading a whole lot of back and forth between scientists on the benefits of good root balls vs taking as much root as possible, even if they're outside of the dirt, I kind of went with a hybrid approach. I got as much root as I could, and kept as much dirt on them as possible. I kept all of them covered with dirt of some type for as much time as possible, and ensured that they never actually got dry. Total time from digging to planting was less than 4 hours, and most of that time, they were in some kind of dirt. - I watered with a sprinkler for a few days, to let moisture come in through both the roots & leaves, in case the roots were having difficulty of some kind. Then I found out about Wilt-Pruf (prevents moisture from escaping through the leaves, which causes a lot of transplant shock). I applied it per the manufacturer's instructions, and am now watering with a soaker hose, as Wilt-Pruf should also prevent absorption of water through the leaves. - I haven't mulched yet (life got in the way unexpectedly), but I will be soon. Something else I came across in my reading - mulch isn't required, but most bushes or trees that are mulched in their first year or two after transplant show 20%+ more growth than those that aren't. Since growth & size are my primary goals here, it's worth having that junk in my yard for a year or two. We'll see what, if anything, will grow under these trees once they're established, but for now, it's gonna be mulch. Thanks, everybody, for all the insights provided. Hopefully these results, and what I did to get them, will be useful to someone else in the future, too.
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jacqueline9CA
12 years ago
I agree with Michael about removing all of the leaves, and cutting back the canes. The roots are damaged, and need to grow back some before they can support much top growth. Also agree with moving it to partial shade, and keeping it watered. DO NOT feed it until you see healthy new growth coming out - that may take a few weeks.

How big is the "relatively large" pot? The pot will probably be fine for now, but not for long term, unless it is very large. Do you have a garden where the rose can eventually be planted in the dirt?

Jackie
roseseek
12 years ago
Moving it to dappled, but not direct sun, is definitely the way to go. You might also consider covering it with a white sheet or some white tee shirts and keeping them moist for a few weeks to help rehydrate the canes. Removing the foliage, all of the foliage, and cutting off any shriveling, soft or new growth is good advice, too.

Until it begins pushing new buds and growth, keep the canes moist by either loosely wrapping them with the sheet or tee shirts and watering the fabric once or twice a day, or misting the plant every few hours. Anything you can do to keep the plant damp, cool and on the dark side until new roots are formed will help.

You call it a "rose bush tree". Are you meaning a bush or a tree rose? If it's a tree rose, wrapping the trunk in cloth then loosely covering the head with white sheeting and keeping them all on the damper side will help. For a regular bush, just draping the cloth around the plant and keeping it damp will do the same thing. It's a bit more difficult with a tree rose due to the size and fact that trunk can easily sun burn. Once burned, it is dead and all growth which depends upon the circulatory system which has been killed will also die. Good luck! Kim
karl_bapst_rosenut
12 years ago
Next time you do something new, ask for help before, not after the fact. It's easier to prevent than to undo.
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
12 years ago
First, relax. The plant is 7-10 years old, which means it's got some energy built up, making it far more likely to survive than a rooted cutting a few weeks or months old.

I'd get it into full shade for a few weeks, then when the weather is reliably cool, gradually reintroduce it to full sun for the winter and spring. You may need to give it mostly shade again next summer (and during any heat wave) if it remains in the pot.

Check the moisture of the soil regularly with your fingers. The soil should be neither soggy nor totally dry. Your fingers will feel cool if there is moisture in the mix.

But don't panic. Roses pull through more often than not. I've thrown roses onto the compost heap and left them there for months, then had a change of heart and replanted--and they are growing and blooming to this day.

Trouble with transplanting a rose bush tree

Comments (6)

michaelg

seil zone 6b MI

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jacqueline9CA

roseseek

karl_bapst_rosenut

hoovb zone 9 sunset 23

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