Pruning new growth on roses?

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

I feel like this is probably a super silly question, but I have searched everywhere and can't seem to find an answer to this...

After much anticipation, my Jude the Obscure finally broke dormancy! Now it's throwing out new growths everywhere.....like, everywhere. Up, down, side-by-side. Some shoots look like they'll be in each other's paths, some are going towards the soil....is it to prune some of the new growths off now? Should I wait longer to see if they'll "correct" their trajectile?

In this photo there is one shoot growing towards the soil:

In this one there are multiple shoots growing on the same cane, two of them side-by-side:

Multiple shoots going in different directions, some pointing downward (will it curve back up?):

On another note, I see some tiny flower buds on my Queen of Sweden! I cannot be more excited...my very first rose and very first bloom!!!

Featured Answer

ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9

6 years ago

I'd probably nip off the shoot that's heading straight for the soil beneath it but would leave the others, allowing them to grow and see in what direction they ultimately head. Right now this rose needs to grow, and I wouldn't hinder it in that effort. On the other hand, pinching off a few of the really wayward shoots isn't going to hurt anything either; just leave most of them.

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Comments (9)

Adelaide (Z8b Canada)
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you Ingrid! I guess I should leave it alone for now and see how things go. Most likely I will have to take off that one that's getting close to the soil. I wonder if the rose has the ability to sense which way it up???
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rosecanadian
6 years ago
My thoughts echo Ingrids. And yes, plants can sense up and down....didn't they demonstrate that somehow on the ISS?
Adelaide (Z8b Canada) thanked rosecanadian
Adelaide (Z8b Canada)
Original Author
6 years ago
I had to look up the experiment on the ISS just now....how interesting! It appears we can artificially "guide" plants to grow in a certain direction...
Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
6 years ago
They will know to grow up. You really just have to watch the miracle. They know what to do.
Adelaide (Z8b Canada) thanked Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
sbrklyn_7bny
6 years ago
I let my bareroots grow however they want. But recently I noticed that the bottom leaves attract pests a lot so I pinched off the weak shoots near the base that don’t seem to grow much anyway.
Adelaide (Z8b Canada) thanked sbrklyn_7bny
rosecanadian
6 years ago
I found this on ISS gravity and plants:

Experimenters were surprised to find that plants can grow with roots downwards and leaves upwards without gravity, originally thought that gravity was needed for this.

Cool, huh?!
Adelaide (Z8b Canada) thanked rosecanadian
Adelaide (Z8b Canada)
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you all! Sounds like I just need to chill and watch it grow :)

Rosecanadian - that's so incredibly interesting! I wonder what plants consider as "up" in space. I also read that they have successfully grown many different vegetables in space and the Russian astronauts actually get some food supply from the vegetables they grow!
rosecanadian
6 years ago
Amazing, isn't it!!! :)