Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, El Paso County Master Gardeners
301 Manny Martinez Senior Dr., 2nd Floor, El Paso, TX 79905
Phone: (915) 273-3502
Rose Pruning
Roses truly benefit from proper, purposeful pruning:
Keeps the plant healthy, promotes new growth, removes dead, broken or diseased canes, and/or trains the plant to a desired shape
Encourages flowering (either more blooms or larger blooms)
Keeps modern rose varieties blooming repeatedly all summer long
Improves plant health by increasing air movement through the plant’s foliage
Roses 3 years old and younger should be only lightly pruned, if at all
You will need clean, sharp tools: bypass-type hand pruners, loppers, and possibly a pruning saw for larger cuts.
Pruning that all roses need:
Remove all dead, damaged or weak stems leaving only the most vigorous, healthy cans
Remove dead wood to the crown, or to the nearest healthy bud
If there are no live buds, remove the entire branch or can to the base of the plant
Pith (located in the center of the stem) should be creamy white, not brown or gray, on healthy, live wood
If the inside of the stem is brown, prune the can back farther, at least one inch below the dead area
Prune the bush to make it more open in the center—will increase air circulation and help prevent diseases
Make pruning cuts above a leaf bud facing out from the center of the plant—new growth comes from the bud just below a pruning cut
Make a cut ¼-inch above the bud and angled at the same angle as the bud
Whenever two canes cross each other, one should be removed
Removal of growth into walking paths, etc.
All major pruning should be done in late winter, just as buds break dormancy—just as they begin to swell and become visible
All pruning cuts on canes greater than the thickness of a pencil may be sealed with wood glue to prevent cane borers from entering
Hybrid Teas, Floribundas and Grandifloras (prune as in illustration)
Prune out all suckers emerging from below the graft
Prune hard (far back) for fewer but larger blooms; less hard for more but smaller blooms
General recommendation: cut out all but three to five of the healthiest, most vigorous canes—prune these canes down to 15 to 18 inches from ground level
Remove any canes thinner than a pencil
In the late summer/early fall, prune back by about 1/3 of their height to encourage vigorous autumn blooms
Climbing Roses (make cuts as in illustration, but do not prune entire plant as in illustration)
Except for dead or diseased growth, do not prune until after flowering (bloom only once, on wood from the previous year’s growth)
After flowering: prune out all weak or damaged stems and removed the oldest canes, leaving five to seven strong canes untouched (see illustration below):
Shrub Roses (make cuts as in illustration, but do not prune entire plant as in illustration)
Shrub roses should be pruned in late winter, like other modern roses
Remove up to 1/3 of the canes the oldest, woodiest stems—cutting them back to the plant’s crown, and up to 1/3of the height
Old Garden (Antique) Roses (make cuts as illustration, but do not prune entire plant as in illustration)
Most only bloom once in a season—prune immediately after bloom to keep old roses under control
Do not need hard pruning—can ruin their graceful shape and severely reduce their flowering
Remove no more than 1/3 of each bush; generally, remove only the oldest stems that are no longer productive
If you like, leave some of the right red hips (fruits) for fall and winter color
Deadheading:
Cutting off old, faded flowers to encourage formation of new flowers
The first few leaves behind the flower will have only 3-leaflets. Remove the flower (or group of flowers) by making a diagonal cut just above the next 5- or 7-leaflet leaf down on the stem
Cut should be made above a strong bud that will produce a healthy new cane
El Paso Master Gardener Help Desk – (915) 273-3502
or
Email us at: elpasomg@ag.tamu.edu
Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.