Question
Hi, I have acquired someones (empty home)red climbing rose, do not know variety, pretty healthy and in dry Colorado, Denver exactly. I saw answer on moving a rose in my exploration of this site. I wonder if moving a blooming rose will require anything different and will 18 to 24" hole be enough, it is about 4 t 6' high (bending now)and want to use it near an arbor. Will I need to dig abt 20" or so circle to get all roots or how to measure to ensure I get all roots or most? Thanks you!

Answer
The bigger, the better, Pam -- Deep and wide, with as much of the original rootball around the roots as you can possibly include.  Reason being -- as you know from reading past posts -- the root hairs on these plants are wiped out when you move them.  Root hairs are VERY delicate wisps of tissue that stick out of the sides of more solid roots.  There are thousands of root hairs.  And they ADD to the main Root's work of absorbing nutrients and moisture.  But because there are so many of them, they really max out the exposure of the Root they're on, and the plant really depends on them after a while.  When they get damaged, or wiped out, the plant grows weak and malnourished and underwatered.  It won't recover until they return.

You may have seen a product I am very impressed with called Messenger.  This is a commercial name for something called Harpin Protein.  This Protein is NOT a fertilizer or an enzyme.  Harpin is an INSTANT trigger for cell and tissue repair on green plants that was isolated at Cornell University, where much of plant research is conducted.  Cornell licensed their findings out; the result is the product on the shelf that I think is a great idea when we transplant anything.  I am using it on seedling transplants this spring.

One thing I have to point out about Messenger is that it works best if you SPRAY it on.  I am not fond of spraying, even for Blackspot -- which I HAVE to spray for.  But it is a cumbersome exercise that I do not enjoy.  A spray bottle, though, is much easier for me, and that is how I am using it on my seedlings.  You CAN water it in if you want, but this is not a cheap product, and it works most effectively -- like Roundup, for instance -- through the leaves.  A modest spray on the roots before you put them in the new soil will probably help too, and if you add a small amount to the water of the shrub every day after planting it, that can only help.  Your Rambling Climber is probably covered with leaves by now, but it will be taking a real beating when you move it this late in the season.  I thoroughly believe that if you spray this with Messenger, it will recover in record time, and I also believe the ensuing growth will benefit all Summer.

I am spraying Messenger on some tomato plants to see if it has any effect on HEALTHY tomatoes.  But that's just my own personal hobby.

After you put your Rose into the soil, REMOVE some of the tips of the branches -- to reduce the number of leaves that will be wilting -- and water thoroughly with rainwater if possible (collected in a garbage can) if you can get that, mainly because it isn't freezing cold.

Sounds delightful.  Send pictures!