General Guidelines

Regardless of how far back you prune, make sure to use a sharp pruning tool, preferably one with a bypass mechanism. Ragged pruning cuts made with a dull blade invite disease and decay. When at all possible, cut canes back to a point just above an outward-facing bud. Do not make your cut too close to the bud or leave too long a stub beyond it. Cutting too close may lead to injury of the bud and an extended stub will form a roost for pathogenic organisms. 1/4" is an appropriate distance.

First Rule of Pruning Roses: Don’t be afraid to prune! Even if you whack away too much, there’s a better-than-even chance the rose will recover.

For repeat-blooming, non-climbing roses, we usually prune in late winter or very early spring. For those who live in warmer climates, this can be done as early as January. For those who live in colder climates, this may not be done until April. For the majority of us, though, we prune our roses between late February and early March. (Note: For those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, change the months appropriately.)

For once-blooming and most climbing roses, we always prune after their first (or only) full bloom flush in the spring or early summer. This can be as late as May or June for many rosarians. If you prune these roses before they bloom, you’ve pruned away most of this year’s blossoms. For the most part, climbing roses bloom on "last year’s wood."

General pruning tips:

• Use sharp tools. This reduces the likelihood of injury.
• Wear face, arm and hand protection so you won’t look like something fresh from the butcher shop. :-)
• Don’t leave stumps on the bud union when pruning. These small knobs will decay and could damage your rose’s bud union. [Hint: A fine-toothed saw blade will make clean cuts and permit you to get close to the bud union.]
• Always prune to an outward-facing bud-eye. Look at the cane and notice the small "pimple" coming from the cane. Prune the cane at a 45-degree angle such that the cut will be about one third of an inch (one centimeter) above that bud eye.
• Sealing cuts is not necessary if done during the winter. On major canes or if sealing is absolutely required, use white glue.
• Never use asphalt-based pruning paint. [P.S. I define a "major cane" as anything larger around than my thumb.]
• Prune away all "suckers" down to the root from which they come. A "sucker" is cane growth from the understock of the grafted rose. On modern hybrid roses, these suckers will always come from below the bud union; often from the roots. On own-root roses, this does not apply of course.
• If your roses had fungal diseases last year, don’t compost your pruned waste. Most compost bins do not operate at temperatures high enough to kill the fungal spores. [In this case, it’s better to send ‘em to the landfill.]
• Likewise, if you had a disease problem last year, consider sterilizing the "business end" of your tools after pruning each rose. This is easily done by dipping the cutting blades into a solution of two tablespoons (30 ml) liquid chlorine bleach per gallon (four litres) of water. This procedure will also help if you had a problem with crown or stem gall.

For Hybrid Tea, shrubform roses:

When you are finished, you should have three to five canes extending out from the "bud union" — that bulbous knob from which all the canes grow. Do not leave "Y’s" (branching or forking) in your canes. (Think of an inverted milking stool.) If you have planted your bud unions below soil level or you have own-root roses, the canes should extend from around the center of the shrub’s root crown.

For Hybrid Floribunda and Grandiflora shrubform roses: Prune as you would for Hybrid Tea roses. However, branching or forked canes are permitted.

For shrubform, repeat-blooming antique (Victorian) roses, Old Garden Roses, shrub roses, and miniature roses: Prune away all dead canes and twiggy stems, and reduce the size of the rose by about one-third. Prune for shape. [Hint: As a technique, prune off the canes and branches that touch the ground. It allows better access under the rose and reduces pest and disease infestation.]

Pruning rose standards (tree roses): Prune as you would for the type/class of rose above, but only for that portion of the rose at the top of the standard (the "trunk"). That is, if you have a Hybrid Tea standard, prune it as you would for the Hybrid Teas above. After pruning, retie the standard to its support structure if applicable.

For climbing roses:

On repeat-blooming climbing roses like Hybrid Teas and large flowered climbers, you may prune the "laterals" (the secondary stems coming off the main canes) to a desired length. I prefer to prune back about two-thirds of their length. But other rosarians have more room and only prune about one-third of their length. As a minimum, leave at least two to four leaf buds remaining on each of the laterals. This may be done during the normal pruning time of late winter or very early spring.

On once-blooming or rambling climbing roses, do not prune back the laterals until after flush — just like the once-blooming shrubform roses. Pruning is accomplished using the same procedures as those for the repeat-blooming, climbing roses.

[Hint: To expedite pruning climbing roses, untie the rose from its support, and carefully bring all the canes into a central work area. After pruning, retie the rose to its supporting structure. Then, further prune the laterals to create the shape you desire.]

Dead-Heading

Pruning New Rose Plants