How to Receive & Plant Your Better Bare Root™ Roses
When your bare root roses arrive, remember: the very first goal is to gently awaken them from dormancy — not to push for big, showy blooms right away. Breaking dormancy is a simple process, but it’s important to follow each step with care.
1. Open Immediately
- As soon as your bare root rose arrives, open the package right away.
- Never leave it sealed or sitting in a box.
2. Soak the Roots
- Place the roots in a clean bucket of water for a minimum of 2 hours.
- You may soak up to 48 hours.
- If soaking longer than 24 hours, change the water daily.
- Keep the soaking rose out of direct sunlight and protect from deep freezing temperatures.
3. Prepare the Plant
- Do not cut off any roots. They are the plant’s energy reserve. When you purchase a bare root rose, you are literally buying the energy in those roots.
- Trim the canes back to 6 inches. This encourages stronger, faster side-shoot growth for a bushier rose with more flowers. The more cane mass that you leave on the plant, the more energy it takes to break dormancy. By cutting the canes back to 6", you are sending more energy into the lower portion of the canes and side buds will break in greater abundance and faster!
4. If Planting Must Wait (Cold Weather)
- Use a deep container with good drainage holes.
- Do not bend or “J-hook” the roots so that the roots are pointing straight up — keep their natural shape intact as much as possible.
- Use a high-quality, soilless potting mix that drains well.
- Never plant directly in compost or soil conditioner - the organic material concentration is too strong and may burn new growth. Soil conditioners or "garden soils" are too heavy and do not drain enough for bare root roses.
- Do not fertilize yet — the roots already contain the energy needed to break dormancy.
5. If Planting in the Ground
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Check drainage first: Fill the hole with water — it should drain within 30 minutes.
- If not, dig deeper and amend with a high-porosity soil conditioner. For extremely poor draining soil, you may want to select another location, or use gravel or sand at the bottom of the hole to ensure that your rose roots are never in standing water.
- Dig a wide, deep hole and make a cone of soil at the bottom for roots to naturally straddle.
- Mix your native soil 50/50 with a high quality, organic soil conditioner to create a transition zone for new root growth. Never backfill directly with soil conditioner or garden soil.
- Position the rose so the crown (own root roses this is where the roots meet the canes - for budded roses this is the enlarged area at the base of the canes where the intended variety was budded onto the scion, or rootstock) sits 2–3" below the soil line:
- Zone 6 and colder: bury the bud union for winter protection - this is VITAL for the long term success of budded roses in colder climates. You will also need to add additional winter protection such as mulch or rose cones on budded roses. Own root roses do not require additional winter protection.
- Zone 7 and warmer: still plant 2–3" deep to prevent wind damage that can rock the plant and damage the bud union.
- Backfill gently, using your hands to settle soil around the roots with no air pockets.
6. Water & Mulch
- Water deeply after planting.
- Add 3–4" of organic mulch around the plant.
- Never use rocks — they overheat and damage tender roots.
7. Care While Breaking Dormancy
- Keep soil consistently moist — never let it dry out during the first weeks.
- This is the #1 reason bare roots fail.
- With proper drainage, you won’t risk drowning them.
8. Fertilize Only After First Leaf Flush
- Wait until the plant has a full set of leaves before applying fertilizer.
- Use a gentle, organic based rose fertilizer — avoid overfeeding.
- Heavy feeding too soon can burn new growth.
- Remember: your rose was already well-fed before shipping and has stored energy in its roots.
By following these time-honored steps, you’ll not only set your bare root roses up for success, but also give yourself the joy of watching them awaken and flourish. With patience, care, and confidence, you’ll discover that growing roses from bare root is a deeply rewarding experience — one that connects you to the same practices used by the world’s finest rose growers. Trust the process, and you’ll soon be surrounded by a living testament to your dedication. You absolutely can do this!
