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Questions, Answers and Comments by Category
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Initial post
4 JUL 06 by
Julie
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I live in San Antonio, TX. It is early July. I have 11 rose bushes, and at times, I get carried away with pruning. I just went crazy and pruned 2 rose bushes all the way back, because there was a lot of black spot and suffocated spindly growth. One bush was a Simplicity hedge rose, and the other was a Grand Finale floribunda. The Grand Finale has become overgrown with sucker growth. The main crown and canes look brown, and I do not know it they are dying or what. A lot of the main canes on the Simplicity are looking brown, too. Did I make a mistake by pruning all the way back? Can I save them? How do I get rid of overpowering sucker growth? I have this on 3 bushes. Help! I always put glue on the cut stems and canes.
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#1 of 3 posted
4 JUL 06 by
Wendy C
Mound the rose to half its height with mulch and keep them moist. They should recover if they weren't on the way out before you pruned. Old rose canes do sometimes look like they have bark rather than the green of a new cane, there is nothing wrong with that. The understock (suckers) could be draining the energy from the budded variety. Carefully uncover the bud union so that you can see under it. This is where the suckers should be coming from. Instead of cutting them off, give them a firm downward yank. This will keep them from growing back from that spot. In the future if you have a bad infestation of black spot or powery mildew, you can remove the affected folige and leave the canes intact. The roses look rather sad without leaves, but they will put out new leaves very quickly. Spray (if you chose) after removing the foliage and then again when the new foliage starts to appear. Best of Luck |
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#2 of 3 posted
4 JUL 06 by
Julie
Thank you, Wendy. I appreciate your advice, and will give it a try! Julie |
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#3 of 3 posted
5 JUL 06 by
Wendy C
You're welcome Julie. I hope your roses bounce back. |
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