Pruning Roses

HYBRID TEA, FLORIBUNDA, GRANDIFLORA & CLIMBERS

WHY PRUNE?

• To encourage the growth of new flowering wood, this results in the production of more robust flowers.
• To remove dead, dying, diseased, injured, and broken wood.
• To remove crossing canes or canes too close to one another.
• To promote air circulation through the plant in order to decrease the proliferation of disease and insect infestations.
• To promote light penetration to the crown or bud graft in order to encourage healthy growth.
• To remove suckers emerging from the rootstock.
• To remove old canes which become less productive and to stimulate new basal breaks.
• To improve the shape and appearance of plants.

HOW TO PRUNE?

1. Remove all obviously dead wood.
2. Remove wood that is heavily scaled, sun scalded or covered with lesions.
3. Remove any canes that cross, touch or grow into the center of the plant.
4. Examine wood that formed over the summer. Cut canes back one-half to two-thirds to wood at least one-half inch in diameter.
5. Make all cuts at a 45° angle above a live, outside-facing bud eye. Use sharp bypass pruners to ensure a clean cut that doesn’t crush or tear the wood.
6. Remove any remaining leaves.
7. Seal cuts more than one-quarter inch in diameter to prevent any boring insects form entering canes.
8. Spray dormant roses with copper and horticultural oil. Copper helps to decrease the incidence of fungal problems during the growing season, and oil kills insects in their various overwintering forms.
9. Clean up. Remove all rose leaves and other debris from around the plants. Do not compost!