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ROSE CARE FOR FEBRUARY
by Florence Taylor, Consulting Rosarian
by Florence Taylor, Consulting Rosarian
Now that we are well into the pruning season many of us probably have a few of these gnarly plants that we just can’t bear to part with. They are rose bushes with one or more basal canes that are all thick, grey and GNARLY…One way to tell if a rose is happy is by the number of new canes that it has.
Why are the bushes gnarly in the first place? As the canes age , they get thicker and their bark gets thicker too. In some cases they can be decades old. One of my beds was planted in 1989, and the original roses are still growing in it. Needless to say they are very gnarly. The problem is that the older canes don’t produce shoots and blooms like newer growth.
If you are really attached to the plant consider rejuvenating it. First try to find the reason why the plant isn’t producing more new canes.
Does the plant get enough sun and water? Does the soil have enough organic matter? Does the rose have to compete with tree roots, weeds or other plants? If any of these problems exist they need to be corrected.
Before pruning assess the plant. Count the number of total basal canes coming from the ground and the number that are barky canes. If the bush has only 2 or three canes, remove only 1 of the barky ones. Four or more canes, you can remove 2 of the barky ones. Remove by sawing them off as close as possible to the bud union.
Now the plant need some TLC. Water the plant heavily and mulch - in a couple of months, you will see wonderful things, new shoots coming from the ground. Keep the water coming and give a little fertilizer. By next pruning you will have several new canes and a rejuvenated happy rose.
By removing these old barky canes, it opens up space for the bud union to send up a new basal break and over time the old plant will be full of new growth.
A YEAR OF ROSE CARE:
January
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Last Modified: 2/21/07