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Is it safe to transplant a rose plant? If so are there any tips that I should know of before doing this so as to not kill the rose plant or let it die after it's been transplanted? Also what kind of light does it need? Right now it seems to be growing fairly well with late morning to early evening full sunlight but I'm not sure what other kinds of sunlight it would work with.

My experience with roses is that they at least must have sunlight from early morning until noon. If the dew stays on the leaves too long, it can encourage diseases. So I was told by one of the local nurseries, anyway.

I tried to grow some lovely climbing roses on trellises up against the west side of my house. They were always infected with one thing or another. I got tired of constantly spraying them, so after consulting the people at the nursery, I moved them to the fence on the east side of my yard. I never had any further trouble with them. I can only attribute it to the improved air circulation and early morning sunlight. [img]https://bestsmileys.com/clueless/4.gif[/img]

You can dig them up and move them, but I have only done so in the fall, after the plants became dormant.

Decado wrote:Is it safe to transplant a rose plant? If so are there any tips that I should know of before doing this so as to not kill the rose plant or let it die after it's been transplanted? Also what kind of light does it need? Right now it seems to be growing fairly well with late morning to early evening full sunlight but I'm not sure what other kinds of sunlight it would work with.

Some of the things that need to be considered are making sure that you prune back the canes somewhat, because it will not only make it easier to move, but it will lessen transplant shock.
You also have to make sure that you keep it very well watered (in a location that allows for excellent drainage), just as you would any newly planted rose.


To do well, roses need at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. Anything less and you're compromising plant health and bloom quantity and quality. There are some cultivars that may tolerate slightly less, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
Roses will not thrive in shady locations.

My transplant method is perhaps a little odd, but works well for me in my sandy soil that has lots of competition from oak roots. I lift the plant to be transplanted and place it in an adequately sized nursery pot that will easily accomodate the root ball with about two inches to spare. I then give the plant anywhere from a few months to a full season to nurse the plant back to health in that controlled environment that has no competition from other plants, can be placed in an ideal location, shade first and then moving slowly to sun, and allows the plant to get fully vigorous. When it is time to replant in the ground, the plant is thriving and suffers no transplant shock at the full rootball stays intact.