Pruning...thoughts and questions

14 years ago

I finally got out today to prune. I know its a week or two past prime since most of my roses are leafed out and budding already, but it had to be done. Like I've sworn over the past couple of years, I promise myself that I will NOT add anymore hybrid teas...they just have too much die back and are too needy for the amount of roses I grow. So they of course took the bulk of the pruning today. Here's a couple of questions/thoughts I had while pruning:

1. What do most of you do about the dead canes on grafted roses? I cut them as close to the bud union as I can (about 1 inch), but its still very noticiable that there's dead canes...I guess extra mulch would hide it though...Is there anything I can do to make some of mine NOT be one-cane-wonders when they're grafted?

2. Two of my own root OGRs are becoming very oddly shapen. Tuscany Superb and Rosa Mundi both were added last April. They are about 3 feet tall and have about 5-6 spindly little very upright canes. As of right now, they are only leafing out on their tips...is this normal?

3. The third OGR that I don't know how to prune is own root Botzaris also added last April. He's leafing out, but only has one long cane about 3ft tall and the rest is new growth about 4 inches long. Do I cut the long cane back to encourage it to fill out?

4. Do I cut the dead growth off of roses that have died back to the ground, but appear to be regrowing from their roots (all ownroot)? I'm assuming I do...

5. I have some roses what I think have canker (yellow canes/black spots), but they have leafed out...do I still prune them off?

Sorry to ramble on...I know I'm over-complicating this, but I want to learn from the best! :)

Tammy

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Comments (3)

Krista_5NY
14 years ago
I use a pruning saw to remove dead cane stumps. If the stump has aged a season or two the wood softens up, making this easier to remove.

I've noticed that with some of my antique roses, the tips of the canes break out of dormancy earlier than the bud eyes further down on the cane, so I think what you are describing sounds normal to me. If you have not yet pruned these roses, a light pruning would help encourage the bud eyes to break into growth.

I would remove all dead growth from the ownroot roses, cut them back until you reach live wood.

When the canes have spots, I leave the canes in place if the bud eyes are good.
seil zone 6b MI
14 years ago
I do the same as Krista. I use my pruners or loppers to take the cane down as low as I can the first year and then the next year the dried stumps will cut right off against the graft easily. Whether or not it will give you new canes is up to the rose. I've found it makes very little difference on how I cut the canes off.

It's too soon to worry about those three OGRs They haven't had enough time to mature yet. Leave them be for at least this year before you start pruning them. Most roses need at least 3 years to fully mature and own roots in particular take longer to mature than grafted roses. A lot of OGRs need to build a twiggy bush to bloom well. And many of them bloom on last years wood so if you prune them now you may lose all of this years blooms. Don't worry about those short shoots. They'll catch up to the longer cane very quickly.

Yes, cut off all dead wood on the roses. You can cut dead wood at any time. I would suggest though that you put something near or around them to mark where those small new shoots are coming up just for added protection. I've stepped on them a few times because I forgot exactly where they were and they were to small yet to see clearly. I put a couple of garden stakes in front and behind the crown so I know where they are now.

Regardless of the leafing out at the top, if the canes look very yellow or withered, and not green and healthy looking, and there are very dark patches on them that cane sounds like it has some kind of disease. Whether it's canker or not it will not be able to support growth. Cut them off below that and check the inside of the cane. If the center is a greenish white or creamy the rest of the cane that's left is OK. If it looks dark tan or brown keep cutting down until you get to a good center. If left on those leaves at the top will eventually whither and die anyway because they won't get enough food through that sick cane.

If you have more than one cane like that you can do a little experiment for yourself to see what happens. Cut one off and leave one on and see which one performs better in the long run. Sometimes a little experimentation is a very good learning experience. It's also a very good way to get to know your roses and how they like to grow.
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hartwood
14 years ago
Old roses, like your Rosa Mundi and Tuscany Superb, use Day Length to determine when to break dormancy. (They're not fooled into growing too soon, and are less susceptible to late freezes.) The top buds break first, and for a little while you'll have naked, thorny canes with leaves only on the top. Sounds like what you are describing is perfectly normal. Soon, the rest of the buds will break, and the flowers will be here before you know it.