Effect of sand cover on the survival and vigor ofRosa rugosa Thunb.

Abstract

Rugosa rose,Rosa rugosa Thunb., is adapted to the northeast coast of the United States. It can be used to trap blowing sand or planted for beautification. Unpredictable weather conditions during the year of establishment have caused survival to be generally poor. Field observations have indicated that rugosa rose spruted from old plants when covered with 30 to 60 cm of sand. To test this observation, rugosa rose was planted at three depths: 0, 15 and 30 cm deeper than the normal planting depth. Roses planted 30 cm deeper than normal developed expanded leaves sooner than did those planted at the normal depth. Peat moss mixed in the planting hole tended to delay leaf formation for the 0 cm treatment but had no effect on survival at any depth. Survival during the first year was 100% for the 30 cm depth and 93% for 0- and 15-cm treatments. The deeper planted roses were more vigorous at the end of the season than were those set at the normal depth. Rose hips developed on plants set at the two deeper treatments. No hips were produced on those plants for the normal depth. New roots grew on the buried stems. These new roots were near the sand surface rather than uniformly distributed along the buried stems.