Pruning Practices

Pruning Practices
Pruning is important for maintaining healthy plants. Proper
pruning will aid in retaining excellent flower quality and size
as well as overall vigor. Pruning removes diseased and insectinfested
growth, weak growth, suckers from rootstocks, and
old canes. The best time to prune roses is in the spring before
new growth appears and after any danger of killing frost. It is
important to use sharp, clean pruning shears. Cleaning the
shears between plants will help reduce transmission of viral
diseases. All cuts should be made at a 45 to 50° angle, about 1⁄4
inch above a healthy bud.
There are three pruning styles, each with a specific
purpose. Heavy or severe pruning is done on well-established,
vigorous plants to produce large, showy flowers. Prune back
to leave three to four healthy canes with three to six eyes per
cane. This normally results in canes that are 6 to 12 inches
above the ground.
Moderate pruning is done on well-established plants. It
will not result in large flowers, but increases production. Prune
to leave five to six healthy canes with at least seven buds per
cane. The stems are pruned back to 12 to 18 inches long.
Light pruning is done to rejuvenate plants after years of
neglect or on newly established plants. Prune to retain about
five to seven canes that are about 18 inches or more in length.
This aids in maintaining maximum photosynthetic area and is
extremely important when rejuvenating rose plants.