Question:
I need to transplant a few hybrid tea roses to another area. Should it be done before or after they are pruned, or does it matter?Answer:
- It doesn’t matter whether the bushes are pruned before or after being transplanted.
- Most gardening books recommend transplanting roses while they are dormant. In the Bay Area, January and February would be typical; however, with our mild temperatures, roses never go completely dormant.
- Also, it is not unusual for them to bloom in January, although the foliage looks crummy. This confuses and frustrates many gardeners as they wait for dormancy that never comes.
- The ideal time to relocate or transplant roses is Thanksgiving through March. Roses are successfully moved when the days are short and daytime temperatures are below seventy degrees.
- Hybrid Tea roses are large rose bushes that reach five to six feet in height. I would prune them before transplanting as it reduces the size of the bushes, making transplanting easier with fewer branches getting in the way.
- Removing three feet from the top and two to three feet off the sides is common. A common mistake when transplanting roses is to plant them too deep.
- The top of the first root should be at or near the soil surface. All too often, the bushes are planted up to the bud union. The bud union is where the desirable rose variety is budded to the rootstock and should be above ground.
- Problems can develop from the poor drainage from our clay soils and the constant moisture as roses are watered frequently. This is easily corrected by removing the excess soil to the top of the first root at transplanting.
- Also, the distance between the bud union and the origins will vary significantly between bushes.
- The more significant issue is the projected wet winter. The wet conditions often delay things, but don’t worry; replanting even as late as April shouldn’t be a problem. The late planting only delays the first flush of flowers.
Question:
I want to plant some lettuce, but I’m concerned it will freeze. What varieties are the most resilient to cold temperatures?Answer:
- Lettuce will freeze if it gets cold enough. Fortunately, that does not occur very often in the Bay Area.
- All leaf and head-type lettuces are okay to plant for the winter months. But I prefer Lettuce as I don’t have to wait for it to mature. You pick the outer leaves as the plants grow. At this time of the year, it is much slower than in April or May.
- The other issue may be the soil is too wet. I then suggest you plant in containers. Also, it’s too cool for seeds, so I replant transplants from your favorite garden center.