Knowing how to get rid of wild rose bushes gives you two options: to remove them by hand or use herbicides. There are different varieties of wild roses such as Rosa Carolina and Rosa multiflora that can easily thrive in regions under zone 5 to 8. This makes these bushes commonly occurring across different locations and can easily affect various landscapes.
Some would say wild roses are welcomed because of their beauty, but having them in the garden can affect other plants. Because of this, you need to learn how to get rid of wild roses successfully so they won’t grow back. If you want to ensure a well-kept garden, you can also consider growing in the greenhouse as wild plants’ management is non-existent with proper practices indoors.
How To Get Rid Of Wild Rose Bushes Easily
Option #1. Manual removal
Water and prune
The first option is manually removing wild rose bushes, and this can be effective if the bushes are not that plenty yet. To make the digging easier, prepare the bushes by watering them and remove the next day. Watering the wild roses makes extraction easier because it doesn’t run the risk of a destroyed root ball when you dig them out.
Remember that much like weeds, if some parts of the wild rose bush root remains, it can grow into a new plant later on. It would help if you also pruned the bushes back so that only a few inches are above the ground. This is especially beneficial if the bushes have overgrown where it will be tricky to ensure that you’ve dug out the root ball.
Dig and dispose
After watering and pruning, dig around the root ball using a sharp spade. Gardeners recommend a space of 6 inches from the rose’s main stem to anticipate the root ball’s size. Once you’ve dug out the rootball, check for any residual roots and remove some of the soil for good measure.
After you collected the wild rose bushes, you can burn or throw them away instead of turning them into compost. Composting extracted bushes will risk contaminating the area with roots that can sprout into new bushes. More so, bushes can regrow on their previous site, so immediately remove the new growths once you notice them.
If you don’t want to resort to herbicides immediately, you can consider using a weed control fabric as well. This prevents new plants’ growth from leftover runners and sections because it prevents light that supports the wild rose bushes’ development.
Option #2. Herbicides
In some cases, manual removal of wild rose bushes is not enough, especially when you notice that they continue to regrow. If there are also many bushes, you might find it more convenient to use herbicides. A weed killer should work well against wild rose bushes.
The emphasis is still necessary on checking the chemical you’ll use. Whether you’re removing wild rose bushes in the greenhouse or the garden, chemicals can affect the other plants nearby. It’s also typical for weed killers to leave residue on the soil that can affect the next plants you’ll cultivate in the area.
Overall, you shouldn’t feel intimidated by using a weed killer as long as you follow the instructions and read them carefully beforehand. In general, protecting yourself with proper clothing and covering nearby plants with plastic sheeting should make safe chemical usage. You must also check the chemical’s directions for application and reapplication to ensure its effectiveness.
Best time to use a weed killer
In general, it’s best to use chemicals when the day isn’t windy or raining. Wind can blow the chemicals and affect other plants, and rain can wash the plants’ weed killer. To save you from these risks, use chemicals late in the summer.
How To Get Rid Of Wild Rose Bushes In Winter
Removing wild rose bushes in winter can be tricky because the soil is not workable for digging. However, you can use stump killers from November to March. The process is as simple as applying the chemical on the freshly cut main stem.
It would also be best to prune the branches beforehand to find the wild rose bush’s main stem easily. Here, the concept is to apply the chemical on the living wood to kill the rest of the rose bush. Some gardeners also put holes on the main stem for easier chemical penetration.
Once the bush has died, you can dig it up. The key here is to ensure that the stump killer has altogether killed the plant down to its roots, so even if you accidentally left some roots from digging, the bush won’t regrow. Wait for a few weeks before removing the root crown and stump in the area if you want to use it for replanting.
Conclusion
Roses are, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful flowers one can have in the garden. But sometimes, you need to learn how to get rid of wild rose bushes if they affect the landscape’s harmonious look. You can also consider growing in the greenhouse as the management and prevention of wild shrubs are easier indoors.
You can manually remove wild rose bushes, but make sure that you don’t leave any roots on the ground. On the other hand, you might need to resort to chemical weed killers if you notice the plants continuously regrowing after some time.