I was wrestling a David Austin rose out if its container today, and being a puny girl was having trouble. Finally it felt like it was going to slide free, hooray, only I quickly discovered that the reason it slid out so readily was that it was no longer attached to most of its roots :(. I planted her anyway and now I'm curious what her chances are and what I might do to improve them. She's currently a couple feet tall with some very small buds.
Kind thanks..
trim back the top to be in balance with the amount of root system you have left below.
when it starts to actively grow use a weak solution of liquid fertilizer to give it a boost once in a while.
songbird
I would not fertilize during the first year in the ground. Most fertilizers contain nitrogen, which promotes foliage growth. You do not want the foliage to outgrow the ability of reduced roots to supply moisture. Actually, this is a good idea even if you did not damage the roots.
The only nutrient I would give during the first year would be bone meal or superphosphate. These have to be dug into the planting hole below the roots. Both are sources of phosphorus, which does not readily disolve and must therefore be placed where the roots will find it. However, you must then place an inch or two of plain soil above the phosphorus-enriched soil so the roots do not immediately touch the nutrient. That is, the roots must find the phosphorus and not be planted directly in contact with it.
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