Michael Womack
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Saturday, February 12, 2000

Pruning gets 'em blooming

Snip away so roses are ready for spring

 

Everyone knows that roses and Valentine's Day go together; however, this holiday is not just a great time to give roses to your sweetheart, it's also a great way to remember when to prune your roses and other tropicals in the Corpus Christi area.
   In Nueces County, we tend to recommend pruning after Feb. 15 since our average date of last frost is Feb. 10. You may want to wait a week or so later in northern and inland areas to reduce risk of frost injury to tender shoots, which quickly emerge after pruning.
   Rose pruning is not just a spring ritual, it is an important practice for strong healthy plants for the upcoming growing season. Besides knowing when to prune, it is also important to understand why, where and how to prune.
   Prune for quality
   Why is it important to prune roses? After all, rose bushes have grown for hundreds of years without such attention. Although survival doesn't require regular pruning, quality demands it. Pruning encourages more branching and higher quality blooms. Each time roses produce flowers on a stem, the flower tends to be smaller and weaker than the previous one.
   Pruning also removes dead plant material that encourages further plant decay. It reduces excessive foliage and tangled branches that may serve as a harbor for insects and fungal diseases, also removing rubbing and crossing branches that are site for new infection. Small twigs that are unable to support a quality flower are removed allowing more of the plant's energy to be used for high quality blossoms. Finally, pruning will help the plant fit into the scale of the landscape.
   How should roses be cut? First of all, forget the myth that roses should be cut back to 6 to 8 inches each spring; that recommendation is only for Northern climates where freeze damage must be removed. In Texas, nutrients are stored in the woody rose canes during the fall to provide essential food for new growth in the spring. Excessive removal of canes will handicap the plant's vigor and may reduce the plant's productive life span.
   The average pruning height should be determined by the amount of healthy wood and the desired size in the landscape. Don't judge cane health by its outward appearance. A healthy cane is identified by white or greenish pith when looking at the cross-section after a fresh cut is made. If you see undesirable brown or tan pith material, make another, lower, cut.
   The proper cut
   Crushed or damaged stems will result in plant decay. It is imperative that all cuts should be made with sharp, bypass pruners. These types of pruners are characterized by scissor-type cutting where the blade passes by portion of the clipper that holds the stem. Anvil pruners are not desirable. They characteristically crush stems as the blade comes down to rest on a flat bar that holds the stem in place. Cuts should also be made at a 45-degree angle.
   Each cut should be made one-eighth to one-quarter inch above a bud eye that is pointing in the direction of desired growth. Bud eyes, also known as axillary buds, are located at the base of each leaf. Avoid selecting buds that are pointed toward other viable cane or toward walls and fences.
   Determining the height to which to prune is based on the desires of the owner. If you aren't picky about the height for landscape reasons, plan to remove one-third to one-half of the bush height. Only leave stems and canes with three or more bud eyes.
   If your bush is out of control, start by making a clean sweep to reduce the height. Then remove everything smaller in diameter than a pencil. Also, remove all brown or dead wood. Also remove canes that cross or rub against each other.
   Know your roses
   New basal breaks are extremely valuable. Just make sure that your new growth is above the rose graft. Otherwise, you will get a less desirable rose that is really a sucker off the rootstock. All modern roses, including hybrid teas, grandifloras, and floribundas, are typically grown on a separate rootstock. Miniatures are grown on their own rootstock and therefore don't produce undesirable suckers.
   Climbers are a little different. The long, flexible canes should be left alone as long as they are healthy and of a desirable length. Cut healthy laterals branches back to two or three eyes to encourage more blooming.
   Finally, antique roses and old garden varieties are another story altogether. Most only have a spring bloom that is produced on last year's growth, so don't prune them except for removing dead or diseased material. After they bloom, trim them back to the desired shape.
   Understanding when, why, how and where to prune your roses will help your garden produce a splendid bouquet of these American beauties this year. More information on roses, including variety selection for South Texas, planting techniques and disease control, is available through the Texas Agricultural Extension Service (Nueces County: 767-5217) or the Corpus Christi Rose Society.
  
  

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