How to Kill Rose Bushes
Rose bushes often are a gardener’s pride and joy; however, when it’s time for a change or your roses are not thriving, the task of removing and killing them for good may seem daunting. Even though roses are hearty plants, if you combine pruning, excavation and the use of an herbicide, you can get rid of your unwanted rose bushes.
Cut down your rose bush so about 2 to 3 inches remains above the ground. Use lopping shears or a saw for the larger branches. Discard the limbs at your local yard waste facility, if possible.
Poke around the root ball with a sharp spade. As you feel roots, move a bit farther out and dig. Cut in toward the center of your rose bush to get under the root ball.
- Rose bushes often are a gardener’s pride and joy; however, when it’s time for a change or your roses are not thriving, the task of removing and killing them for good may seem daunting.
- Cut down your rose bush so about 2 to 3 inches remains above the ground.
Lift the root ball up and out of the hole with your spade by pushing down on the handle. Be careful not to break your spade. You can also pull up on the bush from the top.
Remove as much of the remaining roots as possible. Dig deeper in the hole and on the sides to locate and remove the feeder roots. Wearing gardening gloves, feel around with your hands to locate more roots, if necessary.
Spray any new growth in the fall after it matures with an herbicide that contains glyphosate. This will kill any remaining roots that survived the excavation.
- Lift the root ball up and out of the hole with your spade by pushing down on the handle.
- Wearing gardening gloves, feel around with your hands to locate more roots, if necessary.
Kill A Rose Bush?
are beautiful additions in a flower beds or fence row until you try to remove them. These thorny shrubs have tenacious root systems that can regrow repeatedly after they are cut down. Allowing the bush to grow for a few weeks after it reemerges and before cutting it back again, helps deplete the root system quickly. Rose bushes are also capable of establishing a presence in areas of overgrown grass. Keeping all parts of your yard mowed or cutting down rose bushes as soon as they appear is an effective way to prevent them from establishing a foothold. The most effective mowing regimen is three to six cuttings per growing season. Premixed herbicides with the active ingredient glyphosate provide simple and effective control of rose bushes. This chemical kills on contact with the bush's foliage and green stems.
- are beautiful additions in a flower beds or fence row until you try to remove them.
- Keeping all parts of your yard mowed or cutting down rose bushes as soon as they appear is an effective way to prevent them from establishing a foothold.
Related Articles
References
- North Dakota State University: Questions on Roses
- North Dakota State University: Transplanting Trees and Shrubs
- Iowa State Extension: Multiflora Rose and Its Control
- West Virginia University Extension Service: Mechanical Control of the Multiflora Rose
- Pennsylvannia State Extension: Multiflora Rose Management in Grass Pastures (An Integrated Approach)
Writer Bio
Melissa Lewis is a former elementary classroom teacher and media specialist. She has also written for various online publications. Lewis holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
