garden nest 101 Z5 northeast I moved two 1st-year gallon-size own-root roses last weekend Labor Day. The one from pot did not wilt. The one from my clay wilted, so I had to chop 1/2 off that bush. It's hot & sunny in Sept. at 80 F so it's a nuisance to water them twice a day.
Years ago, I moved roses from my clay in early Nov., and it was SO MUCH EASIER. These were 3+ year own root, and they did not wilt since the weather is cooler. I had plenty of leaves to mulch, so I did not need to water them daily. It's best to move in late Oct. or early Nov. when the bagged topsoil HAS NOT FROZEN to ice blocks.
If I'm moving now, I would put roses IN POTS rather than in someone else's garden since I don't know how good their soil drain. I had grown roses to 3-gallon root ball, and they decline or die if planted in a poor-drainage spot. It takes at least 1 hour of digging in my rock-hard clay, plus pouring a 3-gallon bucket of water at 2.5 feet level to check for drainage.
POTS are best for roses to recuperate from the injury incurred by digging them up. When I dig up a rose, lots of cluster roots are damaged, and MOIST fluffy potting soil helps to grow back cluster roots.
If water cannot drain within 5 min. at 2.5 feet level, roses will blackspots or else die through freezing rain in zone 5. One day of heavy rain at freezing temp. is enough to kill roses in poor drainage clay.
Potting soil is on sale at Walmart at 1/2 price right now. We bought $100 worth this week of potting soil for next year, but we paid only $50 since it's 1/2 price. Beyond Peat potting soil's price is $8 but on sale for $2. It's rich but too dense (best on top). Pennington potting soil is too dry with bark but good for drainage at bottom (only $4 per bag on sale).
Better Homes & Garden potting soil is on sale for $5, it's BEST since it retains moisture and rich with turkey manure but needs to pick out the chunks of bark if used at root level. MG-Nature's care Organic Potting soil is excellent, very moist & rich.
Back to the Roots potting soil SUCKS, not worth buying even if $2. It's 90% cheap barks.
Below is my experience in planting 150+ varieties of own-root roses in my dense clay garden, zone 5a:
I dig a hole 3' wide x 2' deep, when I get down to 1.5' deep, pour a 3 gallons bucket of water. It should drain in less than 5 min, if not, then I dig out the rocks at bottom. I work in plenty of pelletized lime AT the top layer since I have acidic rain. For dry & alkaline region like CA then work in acidic gypsum instead. Austin or zillion petals roses need more calcium when they mature.
The soil at root level and below it should be FLUFFY (potting soil) for tiny own-roots and to encourage cluster-root in damaged roots.
Best for dense clay to be ON TOP, potting soil at root level, and even more pelletized lime (for acidic soi) or gypsum (for alkaline & dry climate) mixed with clay at bottom level to speed up drainage and provide calcium when roots go down deeper.
Soil on the East coast has less calcium but soil in CA has more calcium. Bagged soil in IL is rich in calcium, but my clay is depleted in calcium from too many trees in my garden. See below:
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very informative
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