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Lists Garden Philosophies |
Rose Pruning
Techniques 2 (choosing a cane) |
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| I remove older rose canes if there are
other younger replacement canes. According to the rule of thumb, the ideal number of canes is five.
If there are more than 5 and they are well distributed I leave them
alone. If there are only a couple of good ones and some old tired
canes. I just keep the good ones. The fresh cuts often spur
new can growth. I don't
want them leaning on one another as the rubbing produces entry points for disease.
A
healthy young cane is generally green or reddish. There are three healthy young
canes on this rose. The remaining three gray canes are two years old. I will
keep them for another season if they are still producing strong growth at the top.
Keeping the center of the plant open so that air passes through helps prevent fungal
attacks. I will score the bud union when I think that desperate measures are
required and I am convinced that the risk of wounding the cambium is worth improving the
chances of a new cane breaking through at the wound site. The size of the rose bush is
dependent upon the variety of the rose and the health of the roots. If a rose is
cut back severely it will recover. This knowledge can give you the
confidence to do the right thing. A large plant has a large set of
roots. They will have the energy to rapidly replace the parts that
have been removed. Since so many of the David
Austin Roses are so large I tip prune them until they flower and then
remove the end of the cane to where the new growth sprouts out.
click here to continue with the rose pruning primer (the
perfect cut) |
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