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Discussion id : 14-500 most recent 22 OCT 06 HIDE POSTS

Initial post 15 OCT 06 by christie

hi: how do you achieve a 'bare root' status/condition? thanks in advance, christie	REPLY

Reply #1 of 3 posted 18 OCT 06 by Wendy C

When the rose is dormant it is dug up and the soil removed from the roots. Big suppliers then store them in a climate controlled area. Is there a specific reason you asked?	REPLY

Reply #2 of 3 posted 22 OCT 06 by christie

hi wendy:

a number of reasons -

1. until this year, almost all of my roses, now numbering ~175, have been small and easy to winterize. also, they were somewhat localized. however, this year many achieved substantial size. additionally, i have spread them out over some distance. i also have several that are extremely marginal, but in past years have been easy to protect. clearly, the more cane that survives winter conditions, the better. but, so many roses,(altho, never enough), so little time (and money).

2. i had started roses for friends and in planning to send them on, wondered if it was at all feasable for an individual to achieve this condition with any degree of success.

3. curiosity, which really brings me back to 1 - 2, how to achieve dormancy and what temperature requirements and conditions would have to be maintained.

just trying to think of different options i guess.

thanks, christie

Reply #3 of 3 posted 22 OCT 06 by Wendy C

Roses generally go dormant after the first killing frost. The type of frost which turns everything black. Once they are dormant you can safely lift them. They will stay dormant until temperatures raise above between 35-40 degrees.

I had some stored in cardboard cartons in the garage one year and they were fine. The roots were wrapped in damp burlap (newspaper works too) to keep them from drying out. We had moved in November and I didn't have time to plant them until Spring.

Depending on what zone you are in Winterizing roses doesn't have to be a costly prospect. I'm on the edge of zones 5 & 6. I don't prune until Spring and I mound them with straw from the feed store. Most Winters they are fine. If you are colder get dirt from another part of the yard and mound them. Labor intensive, but not costly.

So yes you can bare root roses to send to your friends. If your friends are out of state please be aware there are laws which restrict transporting plant material into some states. It's worth looking into before you ship.