Pruning Roses
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Pruning is very straightforward, once you have your roses categorized and you have established the correct time to prune. Time will, off course, depend on your country and your latitude but usually falls after the last frosts of winter and before spring starts the sap rising.
Equipment
Quality pruning shears are essential.
Make sure they are clean by dipping them in a very weak solution of bleach.
Use loppers for thick canes.
Thorn proof gloves are a must for pruning roses: DIY stores sell light work gloves with a rubber dipped palm that work well...
[...and check the TOOLS section of the Navigation Bar on the left for some GREAT THORNPROOF GLOVES from YARDIAC]
(...and check your tetanus shots:-they are good for 10 years and you should keep up to date!)
Basic cuts
There are some basic guidelines that are generally common to all roses.
Cut out any dead wood, broken canes, or canes that are thinner than a pencil.
Watch for diseased canes and those that are growing horizontally across the middle of the bush. You need to open up the center rather like the shape of a flower vase.
When you make a cut, cut firmly and cleanly, preferably just above an outward facing bud and at a slant away from that bud, although this is not crucial.
Make sure you are cutting to the white wood of the cane.
Different Rose Types, Different Pruning
Miniatures just need a hair cut: a few inches all around. (plus what we said above!)
Climbers
...should be tied back and pruned very gently, without disturbing the main laterals.
Climbers bloom better on the horizontals than the verticals.
Climbers need more "tying back and taming" than anything. I think most light pruning of climbers should be done in the fall. [...check the picture below!]
Ramblers
...should be left to ramble.
Non-repeat bloomers
...such as Gallicas, Albas etc. bloom on the previous seasons growth, so be careful. Take about 25% of each cane from the top, immediately after blooming.
Shrub Roses
...cut only the weakest side shoots to maintain the tall, informal shape.
Do not prune shrub roses too much.
Hybrid Teas and Floribundas
...can be cut to about 18 inches if you like. Prune hard for producing less flowers but of higher quality. Open up the middle to get air to the center.
When to Prune
This depends where you live: on your climate!
Generally, trim lightly to protect from winter winds, in the fall.
Main pruning is in early spring after any danger of frost, just as the sap is beginning to rise.
In the Pacific North-West, it should be the day the forsythia blooms!
...or, Pruning should start just after Super Bowl for the very southern U.S.[some say that Presidents Day is the signal to start thinking about pruning....but only in the warmer states of the U.S.] and proceed to about mid-march for the colder regions of the north.
Pruning roses is very straightforward. There isn't really much you can do wrong. Little real damage is caused by poor pruning.
Remember, pruning is a signal for the plant to rejuvenate after the winter dormancy, so done correctly it promotes new growth and new basal breaks:- new canes from the bud union.
Cut out the dead, the very thin, the crossing center pieces and "Be brave, make the cut"!
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