How to Grow Climbing Roses on an Arbor
- 1). Install or build the arbor in well-drained soil exposed to six hours of direct sunlight every day. Climbing roses thrive in well-drained, loamy and fertile soil. Use or make the arbor from materials such as wood, plastic or metal.
- 2). Loosen the soil at the base of each pole, pillar or post of the arbor with a shovel to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. Test the soil with a pH-testing kit to determine whether it falls between 5.5 and 6.0. Add lime to raise or sulfur to lower the existing pH. Also add shovelfuls of soil amendments such as compost, peat moss or manure and mix well.
- 3). Dig individual holes 10 to 12 inches deep and 15 to 18 inches wide for bare-root plants. Space multiple roses 8 feet apart. Snip off damaged or diseased roots on each plant before lowering into the hole. Back fill with amended soil and tamp it down until level with the surrounding soil. Repeat this process for planting roses on the other side of the arbor post.
- 4). Water the roses one to two times a week using a soaker hose that encourages the roots to go deep in the soil. Provide the roses 1 inch of water each time. Avoid soggy or overly wet soils. Add a handful of a high-phosphorus fertilizer around the rose plant and water lightly.
- 5). Spread 3 inches of organic mulch such as shredded bark, peat or wood chips around the roses, 6 inches away from the base of the plant.
- 6). Secure canes of the growing roses to the slats or poles of the arbor to train them to climb upward. Climbing roses feature main canes and flowering off-shoots that grow from the canes. Attach the main canes to the arbor with flexible ties or strips of stretchy cloth. Space the canes evenly apart and position each horizontally before joining.
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