How & When To Prune Roses...:

Rose hes that are not pruned can grow into ge tangled messes with sm and inferior blooms. The following should ow you to grow an attractive well shaped and sized h with ge lovely blooms.
Note: This article is about prug hes, not climbers, trees, ramblers or pils.

Prug at the right time can be just as import as how you prune. Bes should not be pruned until they begin coming out of dormancy. This can be as early as January in warm weather areas to as late as April in very cold areas. In colder areas do not prune until danger of frost is past.

Using the proper tools is also very import. You need a good set of prug shears, the type that have one side for ting and one side for supporting. The shears must be sharp; otherwise they can tear your ca instead of ting them. For older ger ca you w also need a good sharp fine toothed curved ting saw that is lubricated. It is also a good idea to have some type of prug paint or sealer to seal ger s. Do not fot good heavy canvas or leather gloves that can protect your hands.

Do not ca straight across. All s should be at an angle of between 40 to 65 degrees. Always make sure that the shear's ting blade is on the lower side of the cane in order to insure a clean . This way any injury to the pl w be on the upper part of the cane which w be discarded.

How much you prune depends on what you are trying to accomplish and on how well established the pl is. Moderate prug, leaving 5 or more ca of up to 24 inches in length, w develop a ge h with nice moderate sized blooms. Light prug, ca 3 to 4 feet in length, w produce an even ger h but with smer blooms on shorter stems and is good for newer or weaker pls. Heavy prug, 3 to 4 ca from 6 to 12 inches in length w produce the gest, showiest blooms, however if the pl is too new or weak you may end up reducing the pls life span.

When prug, remove suckers as these grow from the root stock which is different from the grafted h and may eventuy take over and k the h. Cut out week, spindly and deformed ca, and if possible out ca growing toward the centre of the h. If ca cross each other remove the weaker one. Proper shaping makes for a lovelier h and ows proper air circulation which makes for a healthier pl.

Try to make s down to a cane or if necessary down to about one quarter inch from a strong outside bud union or eye, the eye is where new growth stems from.
After prug paint major s with a sealer in order to aid in healing and to help keep out insects and diseases.