• Recommended pruning sequence is as follows:- Climbers, Miniatures, Floribunda’s, Hybrid Teas, Shrubs & Groundcovers.
• The main aim of pruning is to keep your rose garden “young”.
• Roses are in their dormant period during June – August which is the ideal period in which to prune.
• Closely look at each rose before starting and check for any dead canes, spindly growth and canes that are older than 2 years. It may be necessary to remove any leaves that are still on the bush.
• Remove all of the dead and spindly growths first, then any of the canes that are older than this years new water shoots and last years new growths. This will ensure that you will have a good flowering season ahead of you.
• When cutting off the old canes ensure that you cut them as low as possible to the bud union, which will allow new water shoots to come away unhindered.
• At this stage you have left the good canes which will need to be reduced in length. The older canes will generally need to be reduced around 50%, with the cut being made to an outward facing bud and about ¼ to ½ an inch above the bud. The cut should be cut at an angle sloping away from the bud, so that if any sap runs from the cut or there is rain, then this will run off away from the bud.
• With the young canes remaining there can be some that are very young and have not flowered, so these will be very soft. Do not cut these off as with the older and hard canes. It will be necessary to go to the top of the cane and if there is a small branch then cut just above this. Then cut off the small branch just above the 2nd bud as advised above. The reasons for this is that if you cut off the new cane there is a very good chance that you will get dieback which could result in the loss of the cane. By cutting as described if will ensure that the sap runs to the top of the cane and that last bud.
• Any of the remaining canes that have flowered generally have a candelabra effect at the top of the cane. By that I mean that you will have several branches at the top of the cane almost like an open hand, which would have had a flower on each. Here it is necessary to cut out the middle branches leaving one on each side. Then reduce these to 2 buds on each side as above.
• Now the rose is fully pruned, but it may not look to be even, with the younger canes being much longer than the older canes. This is OK because when spring arrives & the rose grows you will not notice the difference in cane lengths.
• The main shape that you are trying to obtain on a bush rose is that of a vase, which is showing canes in a circle around an open centre, which enables good ventilation in an endeavour to reduce fungal problems, such as black spot.
• I generally like to remove any old bark from the bud union after pruning (I use the point of my closed pruning snips), but can also be done with a wire brush. This helps in the production of new water shoots by exposing the bud union to the sun and light.
• The above pruning method assumes that preventative fungal sprays are applied when required to ensure that leaf cover is maintained on all canes from top to bottom, resulting in shade
being available to the canes and bud union in very hot weather to protect them from sunburn.
• After all bushes are pruned it is necessary to spray with either white oil or pest oil. Use pest oil at double strength because it is much lighter when mixed with Mancozeb. Both of these can be mixed together at the recommended label rate – mix the oil in last. Give the bushes a good cover and also spray the ground under the bushes to ensure a maximum kill is achieved on any fungal spores that are present.
• Pruning of Standard Roses applies the same principles, except that you do not remove canes from the centre of the bush. Here we are pruning to give a round ball effect at the top of the main stem. Any canes that are crossing over here are generally not a problem, because we are looking for maximum effect in the number of blooms.
• Miniature Roses are treated exactly the same as for bush roses.
• Shrub Roses (David Austin etc.) tend to have many side branches on the older canes, which should be spur pruned back to 4 buds. The new water shoots from this year will not have side branches (except for the top in some cases) and should be treated as advised above. By spur pruning we maximise the number of flowering canes for the next season.
• Climbing Roses and Pillar Roses are treated differently in that we do not remove any canes in the first 4 years of growth, except any which are totally growing in the wrong direction. New water shoots growing during the year should be protected from breakage by supporting them by staking or tying with stocking material. It is very important that you do not try to tie them in place because they are very soft and can snap or buckle. Just tie them for support only.
• In the first year or so it is OK to remove any very weak or spindly growth from the bud union area and at pruning time remove the tip of canes where they reduce to pencil thickness or less.
• Carefully tie your canes in place at pruning time.
• When the bush has matured (4 years or more) it is necessary to remove the older canes that are not producing good strong side branches for flowering. Replace these with the new water shoots from this year, being careful not to break them in the process as they are still slightly on the soft side.
Tony Hanna