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Pruning Roses: The
Kindest Cut
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by
Carol Seminara, HCMG |
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Valentine’s Day, for me,
is all about the roses.
There’s something about
dozens of long-stemmed
beauties with
double-digit price tags
that makes me want to
snatch up a sharp blade
and dash outside.
Mid-February is when I
like to prune my rose
bushes and Feb. 14 is
about as mid as February
gets. More importantly,
it’s usually a time when
our Hill Country roses
are dormant. |
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Some gardeners are
intimidated at the
prospect of hacking away
at their beloved plants.
Not to worry. It is very
difficult to kill a rose
bush with bad pruning.
You’re probably not
going to hurt it as long
as you don’t lop it off
at ground level damaging
the bud union (the
usually swollen joint
between the root stock
and flowering canes of a
grafted rose bush). An
imperfect, good-faith
pruning effort is
actually much better for
the plant than allowing
it to grow willy-nilly. |
Pruning generates
several important
benefits to your rose
bush:
• It encourages new
growth and promotes
increased blooming.
• It removes dead wood
that detracts from the
plant’s beauty and can
attract insects.
• It improves air
circulation around the
plant and helps prevent
fungal diseases. |
Of course there are some
tools and basic rules
you’ll need for the job
ahead.
• By-pass shears, which
have blades that cut
like scissors, are used
to remove canes up to
1/2-inch in diameter.
Don’t use anvil-type
pruning shears because
these crush stems as
they cut and crushed
stems are more
susceptible to disease.
• Long-handled loppers
are for cutting thicker
branches larger than
1/2-inch diameter.
• A pruning saw may be
necessary if you are
removing whole, large
canes. |
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All pruning tools must
be sharp and clean.
After each use and
before working on the
next plant, disinfect
your shears by dipping
the blades into
isopropyl alcohol and
wiping them off. This
simple step will help
prevent spreading
diseases among your rose
bushes |
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You will want to wear
heavy, preferably
leather gloves and a
shirt with long sleeves
as protection against
thorns. Safety glasses
or goggles are a good
idea, too. It’s better
to look a little nerdy
than poke out an eye. |
Here are some
how-to-do-it
fundamentals:
Always
prune back to a healthy
bud that points toward
the outside of the plant
to direct new growth out
from the center, opening
up the bush. Cut the
cane above the bud at a
45-degree angle going
downward and away from
the bud. Do not cut into
the bud or so close that
you damage it.
Conversely, if you cut
too far away from the
bud leaving a stub, the
cane can die back
creating a possible
entry point for insects
or diseases. A little
less than 1/4-inch above
the bud is about the
right distance for the
top of the cut.
All cuts
should be clean, not
ragged.
The
surface of the newly cut
cane should be white. If
the exposed tissue is
brown, cut the cane
further back until
healthy looking tissue
is revealed. It is
generally not necessary
to coat small diameter
cuts with a sealing
compound. If, however,
you have a problem with
rose cane borers, then
seal all pruning cuts
for protection. White
glue, such as Elmer’s,
is an effective and
inexpensive sealant.
Begin
pruning by removing all
dead wood and any
diseased or damaged
branches. You want to
keep green, healthy
canes that are growing
on new wood. If a new
(i.e., green) cane is
growing out of an old,
deeply furrowed cane
(also called a striated
cane), then remove it.
On
well-established plants,
cut out any weak,
spindly canes thinner
than a pencil. If your
rose bush is not
vigorous and all you’ve
got are thin, spindly
canes, then obviously
you should leave some.
Cut away
any branches that cross
through the center of
the bush or that rub
together. The shape you
are trying to achieve is
that of an upside-down
umbrella or a vase, thus
creating an open center
to allow good air
circulation and sunlight
penetration.
Suckers
are long, thin canes
growing out of the base
of the bush; these need
to be removed by pulling
them down and off the
plant. Merely cutting
off suckers only
generates more suckers
from any remaining
undeveloped buds.
Your goal
is to end up with four
to six thick, sturdy,
dark-green upright or
outward pointing canes.
Cut these remaining main
stems back by one-half
to one-third of the
plant’s height for a
moderate pruning
(suitable for most shrub
roses).
Newly
planted rose bushes and
weak or neglected roses
that need rejuvenation
benefit from a hard
pruning back to a height
of 4 to 6 inches. Hard
pruning helps build a
vigorous root system and
stimulates the plant to
produce new, stronger
canes. Sometimes you
have to be cruel to be
kind. |
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If you’re still not
confident enough to take
up the shears and show
your roses some tough
love, there is a virtual
universe of info
dedicated to the Queen
of Flowers. Visit the
American Rose Society
and/or our pals at Texas
A&M at
PlantAnswers for
more info and lots of
photos. |
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Carol Seminara is a
certified Hill Country
Master Gardener. Her
column appears every
other week in the
Kerrville Daily Times.
If you have questions
about gardening, contact
Hill Country Master
Gardeners in the Kerr
AgriLife Extension
Office at 257-6568. Or,
email
kerr@ag.tamu.edu |
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© 2009 Carol Seminara
Photographs by Joe Houde
Studio, Fredericksburg,
Texas except where
otherwise noted |
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