Pruning Roses

Determine the correct time to prune roses. Most modern roses are pruned while dormant (before new growth begins) and blossoms will appear on new wood. Roses that bloom on established wood should be pruned AFTER they bloom. Regardless of the type of rose you have, the first steps of pruning roses are the same: Remove all dead and diseased wood at the point of its origin. Make the cut clean, and don't leave a stumpy point

If your rose is grafted onto a rootstock, remove any suckers that originate from beneath the bud union. They are from the rootstock, are different than the grafted rose, and may be so prolific that they overtake the space If your rose is grafted onto a rootstock, remove any suckers that originate from beneath the bud union. They are from the rootstock, are different than the grafted rose, and may be so prolific that they overtake the space.

Remove branches that grow toward the center of the plant. This step is important for helping air circulation The remaining pruning cuts should be made 1/4 inch above an outward facing growth bud or "eye". Cut at an angle so that water will run off easily.

 Hybrid teas and grandifloras: Cut back 1/3 for a moderate pruning, harder for larger (fewer) flowers. Leave at least 3 eyes above the base of the stem. Remove canes skinnier than a pencil. Prune standards harder, and shape for roundness.  

Climbing roses: Wait 2-3 years after planting for first pruning. Remove shoots smaller than the diameter of a pencil. Cut lateral growth (coming from main canes) back to 4 eyes.

Ramblers: True ramblers have long, flexible canes, and don't flower until the second year. After flowers have faded, remove the flowering canes at the point of origin and remove the weakest of the new canes.

Miniatures and polyanthas require less pruning than most other roses. Remove weakest stems, cut back tips to outward facing buds. Shrub roses (species and hybrids): Lightly prune lateral stems from older wood; long, droopy stems, unproductive canes, and all laterals to 2 eyes. Floribundas: Prune much like a hybrid tea, but less severely. Allow thinner shoots to stay.

Engish roses: Prune smaller ones like floribundas, and larger ones like hybrid teas. If pruning while dormant, remove all leaves. Clean up and replace mulch Tips: Use sharpened tools for best results. Loppers work well for larger canes, bypass pruners are suggested for smaller ones. A pruning saw may be used for the largest canes. For pruning large, thorny canes, consider gloves that are longer than wrist length for protection of your arms. Always cut into healthy tissue. If the cut shows unhealthy growth, take it further down until you cut into healthy wood. A drop of Elmer's glue on the pruning cut will keep borers out.

If a grafted rose has little new growth, consider carefully scraping away any woody growth on the bud union to encourage new basal breaks. Dead-heading is the removal of faded flowers before they can develop seed. Dead-heading is a form of summer or day-to-day pruning. The standard recommendation is to cut the flower stem back to an outward-facing bud above a five-leaflet or seven-leaflet leaf.

Dead headed in summer pruning technique This "rule" applies best to plants that are vigorous. If the plant is weak or small, you may not want to cut off as much material.

Dead-heading is the removal of faded flowers before they can develop seed. Dead-heading is a form of summer or day-to-day pruning. The standard recommendation is to cut the flower stem back to an outward-facing bud above a five-leaflet or seven-leaflet leaf.

Each time you remove this much you are removing a lot of the food-making ability of the plant. This method works well for most recurrent-blooming types of roses. With rugosa and other shrub roses where hips are a part of the display, you may not want to prune off the old flowers. In this case, simply clean the spent blooms away with your hand, leaving the hips.

Flowers should not be cut after October 1 to allow the plant to begin hardening off for the winter. Dead-heading is also a good way to lessen the likelihood of diseases such as botrytis from becoming a problem.

General Suggestions

The pruning of rose bushes can be confusing, especially when you start talking about hybrid teas, old garden roses, shrub roses, once-blooming roses, and English roses. This confusion leads to doubt and improper pruning or no pruning.

The class of rose and the time of year it blooms influence the type and amount of pruning. General pruning principles apply to all roses, but there are differences between classes. The closer one gets to species roses the less severe the pruning. Hybrid teas have the distinction of requiring the most severe pruning for optimum bloom and plant health.

Because of the variety of rose types available, one may need to have an understanding of how the rose flowers. Pruning should also be looked at as applying a few common sense principles to accomplish several tasks. These tasks are to remove dead, damaged, or diseased wood; increase air circulation; keep the shrub from becoming a tangled mess; shape the plant; and encourage the growth of flowering wood.

The majority of pruning is done in the spring. Many rose growers suggest waiting until the forsythias start to bloom as a good signal for the pruning season to begin.  

The goal of spring pruning is to produce an open centered plant. This allows air and light to penetrate easily.   Basic pruning fundamentals that apply to all roses include:

* Use clean, sharp equipment. * Cut at a 45-degree angle about 1/4 inch above outward-facing bud. The cut should slant away from the bud. * Entirely remove all dead or dying canes. These can be identified as canes that are shriveled, dark brown, or black. * After making cuts, it is suggested to seal the ends of the cuts to prevent the entry of cane borers. White glue works well. * Remove all thin, weak canes that are smaller than a pencil in diameter.

If roses are grafted and there is sucker growth, remove it. The best way is to dig down to the root where the sucker is originating and tear it off where it emerges. Cutting suckers off only encourages regrowth of several suckers where there once was one

                                                                      Location of suckers as they 
                                                                                     would appear on budded roses