Rose taproot very bent - advice needed

[Briony]

I had to move a rose recently even though I know it's the wrong time. It's a climbing 'golden showers' that has never done well. Even though I tried to keep an intact rootball, we have very sandy soil and it all fell away, to reveal that the taproot was bent round, instead of going down, it did a 'u' turn back up again. Secondly, I was surprised to see that the root system was almost non-existant, I mean there were hardly any smaller roots (hairy ones) at all, maybe two strands and no, I hadn't broken them off myself, I was very careful.

The cause seems to have been that the rose was by a wall and the root was just above a solid rock layer, so it had nowhere to go, so went back up again! (I didn't plant it).

I have replanted it now but when it's dormant, should I prune this misshapen taproot to encourage it to grow in the right direction? I cannot just buy a new rose to replace it as it doesn't belong to me.

[Thelma Sanders]

The taproot should grow in the right direction now that it can, the only time to worry would be if you start getting a lot of suckers growing up from that part of the root.
A deep mulch over the roots should help prevent that, but if the worst does happen - I would dig it up prune the root and replant a little deeper.
However I really wouldn't disturb it again unless you have to.