pruning back Knockout roses

13 years ago

I know that my Knockouts should bloom again...also...I

should prune them back. How much should I take off at this

point in the season. They're large ones!

Margaret

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Comments (3)

catsrose
13 years ago
Rule of thumn: never take off more than a third of a plant. But you don't have to prune them to get them to booom again. Your KOs may not be blooming much now because of the heat. Roses, like you and me, don't want to do much in the heat. Blooming takes work and they prefer to preserve their energy and just kick back.
roseman
13 years ago
Knockouts are shrub roses and should never be pruned as you would a hybrid tea. Shape them up to suit your fancy, BUT DO NOT PRUNE THEM!
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pruning knockout roses
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Comments (4)
Perhaps the advice you read was to remove a fraction (1/3 or 1/4) of the oldest canes at the base every year beginning in year 4 or 5, to encourage new basal canes. With some roses, canes that are 1-3 years old are the most productive. I don't think this treatment is necessary with KO. Your plant looks plenty bushy to me, but if you want to experiment with various pruning regimes, just do it and see what happens. The plant won't mind.
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Double-Knockout Rose Pruning
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Comments (2)
wait until the forsythia blooms in your area (it is a large shrub with yellow flowers). It should be in the next few weeks (the ones here are late this year). Double KO doesn't need anything special for pruning, hedge clippers would be fine. Use hand pruners to take out any dead or damaged canes.
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will knockout roses come back after hard prune?
Q
Comments (5)
You did nothing wrong! You could use a hedge trimmer to cut them down (though I don't recommend that) and they'd still grow back strong. Pruning any rose encourages new growth so you'll be surprised how quickly they'll spring back up. Make sure you've cut out all dead canes, canes that point directly into the center of the rose (to open the center for good air flow to prevent disease) and any crossing or rubbing canes. If you cut off the spent flowers after they bloom you'll get a bigger rebloom the next round. And you can cut them down some during the season if they're getting too tall or out of shape. It won't hurt them!
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pruning Knockout roses
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Comments (6)
You can prune roses anytime. I don't have knockouts, but I've heard you can just use a hedge trimmer on them. I'd wait for the latest bloom to end and then cut them to where you want them. Dont' worry, they will grow back and you'll get even more flowers. Most roses love being cut back and will put out more growth than before. You may want to add some fertilizer when you prune. Rose Tone is an excellent organic fertilizer that will encourage new blooms.
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pearlgirl
Original Author
13 years ago
Ladies, I'm doing it correctly, then. This is why I
hesitated with the KO's because I also grow a lot of shrub
roses. I've been tip-pruning them (deadheading and shaping)
Thanks!

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pruning back Knockout roses

Comments (3)

catsrose

roseman

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pearlgirl
Original Author

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pruning back Knockout roses

Comments (3)

catsrose

roseman

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pearlgirlOriginal Author

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pearlgirl
Original Author