Bare Root Roses and SUPERthrive

By Stan V. “Stan the Roseman” Griep

American Rose Society Certified Consulting Rosarian – Rocky Mountain District,
Denver Rose Society and American Rose Society member. 

I had read several times about this product called Super Thrive and decided it was time to put it to a test. Three years ago I had ordered in eight new bare root rosebushes. This would be my test group as I have since called it. 

I added two tablespoons of Super Thrive to the five gallon buckets of soaking water for four of the rosebushes. The other four got the normal 24 hour plain water soaking. The soils at the planting locations had been amended exactly the same as well so that there would be no difference there to influence the outcome of my testing.  When the time came to plant the rosebushes, they were all planted in the same way with a bit of Super Phosphate in the bottom soils of the planting hole. When the planting holes were about half full of amended soils, I added some alfalfa meal to the soils. The Super Thrive test group was all watered with their Super Thrive added soaking water to help settle in the soils. The other four were watered with water that had some root stimulator mixed into it. The holes were all filled the rest of the way and all of them watered in the same way as at the half full point. 

All four of the Super Thrive rosebushes broke dormancy first and by a week and a half as well! Even then only one of the other roses had started to leaf out another one just had leaf buds all swelled up and ready to get with the program. I was surprised to see these results and decided I would do it again the next year and see what happened. 

The follow two years I ran the same tests being sure to keep things the same from soaking to planting. Both of the tests had similar results to the first test except that the third time I ran the test. In that test the Super Thrive group broke dormancy and had leafed out well two full weeks prior to the others even making a start to get with the program! With these results in my hip pocket I now soak all of my bare root rosebushes with Super Thrive in the 24 hour soaking water. 

After having planted my bare root rosebushes and any bud and bloom growing rosebushes I may get, I also water them with water that has both Super Thrive and Root Stimulator mixed in the water. 

I am considering doing a test group to see if the bloom production will start any earlier and also produce quicker repeat blooming. Stay tuned for those results!