[Image: pruning roses]Late August, Early September Another Good Time for Rose Pruning
Even though most of us pruned our rose bushes earlier this year, they have been in active growth since March, and many look overgrown, leggy and less attractive now. That's particularly true of the popular hybrid teas and grandifloras.
In Louisiana, we have such an incredibly long growing season, a second pruning is recommended in late August or early September to prepare roses for blooming this fall.
Although roses continue to bloom through the summer, the flowers produced in late summer don't have the quality of those we saw in April, May and early June.
On the other hand, another outstanding rose blooming period will occur in October and November when mild weather conditions once again are ideal for quality flowers. The pruning we do now will make sure the bushes that produce those flowers are shapely and attractive.
Getting Started, Tools Needed
Tools you will need for pruning include a sharp pair of bypass hand pruners and a pair of leather gloves. You might also need a pair of bypass loppers if you have to cut woody canes larger than 1/2 inch in diameter. Proper tools make the job easier, and you'll be less likely to damage your rose bushes or scratch your hands on the thorns.
To begin, examine the bushes carefully. Look for dead canes and weak growth. Check the height and overall shape of the bush. Is it overgrown and leggy? Is the present form acceptable, or does it need reshaping?
Generally, the pruning done now is less severe than what is recommended in early February. First, all the dead growth is removed. Make your cuts well into the healthy part of the canes just above a leaf or dormant bud -- or remove the dead cane entirely back to its point of origin. You may need your loppers for this job.
Next, weak, spindly canes the diameter of a pencil or less should be removed. Cut them off at their point of origin, making sure you do not leave a stub. If you see any sprouts originating from the root stock (below the large, knobby graft union), they also should be pruned off. Do not, however, remove any strong new shoots growing from the graft union.
The major part of the pruning involves shortening the remaining vigorous canes. This will produce a fuller, more attractive bush with larger, better-quality flowers in October.
This pruning needs to be done even if there are flowers on the bush now (be brave). When you are finished, use the cut flowers in arrangements inside, and they won't go to waste.
Cut the canes back to about 30-36 inches from the ground. Ideally, try to make each cut just above a bud that faces outward -- away from the inside of the bush.
The buds are arranged in a spiral along the cane and face every direction. By cutting back to a bud facing outward, the new shoot will grow in that direction. This may seem picky, but it leads to a shapelier plant and opens the center of the bush, improving light and air circulation inside.
The cuts should be made about 1/4 inch above the bud at a slight angle slanting away from the bud. Don't leave a large stub sticking up above the bud, or you will encourage stem rot, and don't cut too close to the bud, or you will kill it.
Final Points
There is no need to paint the cut ends with pruning paint. You may, however, spray the bushes with Maneb Plus with Zinc or Bordeaux mix when you are finished to help reduce canker disease. Follow label directions carefully when spraying.
Clean up and dispose of all leaves and prunings from the area, and fertilize the roses to encourage vigorous new growth once you're finished with the pruning. Use your favorite rose fertilizer according to the label directions, or use general-purpose fertilizer appropriate for your area.
These pruning recommendations apply mostly to hybrid teas, floribundas and grandifloras.
Everblooming old garden roses, shrub roses, landscape roses and other groups may be pruned now, but the pruning required generally is less severe and is done mostly to shape the bush.
Use your best judgment when it comes to those roses.
And remember that many climbing roses, ramblers and older varieties that bloom only once in spring and early summer should not be pruned now. They will produce their flowers next year on the growth they made this summer. Cutting them back now, or anytime before they bloom next year, will reduce the number of flowers they produce.
The preceding concerning the care of roses was written by Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter horticulturist, and provides some great information if you have an interest in roses. If you have other horticultural related questions, contact me at 992-2205 or come by the Extension office in room 22 of the LaSalle Parish Courthouse.