Best time of the year to plant Roses on the Farm

I've had a debate with my friend regarding the proper time for planting roses but after considering both sides of the argument, I have realised that it really just boils down to your own unique situation rather than any general rule.

There are a lot of general rules with agriculture but if you go around the world and even in your country and actually talk to some farmers you'll realize growing the plants is more like how our mothers cook. They have their own unique recipes to make the same food.

Farmers usually advocate for planting bare root roses during the cooler months of the year, like from November to January is generally considered the best time to plant bare root roses in most of West Africa. At this time of year the soil is still workable, temperatures are not excessively hot yet and there is enough opportunity for the plants to get established in the ground and develop roots before the extreme heat begins. That being said, I have spoken with growers who have planted bare root roses as late as March and have had great success, so it’s possible we might be overthinking the timing.

When it comes to container grown roses, they are much more flexible with the planting times. You can plant them virtually any time of year, provided you are prepared to regularly water the plants after they have been planted. I would personally avoid planting container roses during the dry season, of course they will survive, but will take longer to acclimatise and it creates an environment where they rely on excessive pampering for many months.

More important than what month you decide to plant your roses is ensuring that you do not plant when the ground is extremely wet, or waterlogged or extremely dry, like bone dry. Both of these conditions will adversely affect the planting success and development of the rose plant. Roses require good drainage, they still need enough moisture in the ground to properly seat the root ball.

Whenever you decide to plant roses will depend on whether you are located in the southern region of West Africa or whether you are further North because the rainfall times and temperature ranges are different on bother ends.

Many growers will tell you that they have always planted their roses just before the rainy season begins and used the natural irrigation to help their roses become established. Other growers will plant their roses after the rainy season, they say that this avoids fungus or rot issues that accompany planting during periods of high moisture. Both of these methods will give you healthy, properly rooted roses.

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