Four Easy Steps to Pruning Cut out all dead canes right to the ground Cut out all diseased canes or ones damaged by rubbing against others, back to healthy wood. Healthy wood when cut looks like a green apple. Remove any stems thinner than a pencil thickness as they will only produce poor blooms. Prune back the canes left according to the type of rose. A general rule of thumb for most bush roses is cut back by one third.

You can check out some "before" pics here :) Please note that the before pics were taken in March, 5 months after overseeding and the grass didn't have the chance to fully grow. The "after" pics that I'm posting right now were taken in September, I believe. I went organic right at the beginning of my journey with lawn care and I've never really used chemical fertilizers. I don't live in the US, actually. I'm Polish and I order my SBM and alfalfa pellets online. $15 for a 30 kg (65 lbs) bag + $5 shipping, next day right at my doorstep :) However, I can't find corn gluten meal anywhere here in Poland! Now, not to hijack my own thread, is there anyone who can help me with my original question?

KnockOuts and other shrub roses bloom just fine with two feedings, one early in the season as soon as you see signs of growth and again about 4 weeks later. The timing of any fall feeding depends on your zone. KnockOuts are typically on their own roots (not grafted to another rootstock). Since it gets so hot here (8a) so quickly, I usually use liquid fertilizer on my own-root roses the first year. I like organics (fish fertilizer, alfalfa tea etc) but have also used Mills Liquid feed. As a rule, don't feed a stressed plant. Make sure it gets adequate water; water more frequently when weather is dry and windy. Mulch it well to keep the roots cool. I give all my roses a cold water shower during hot dry periods.

In their second year you could feed them liquid fertilizer-- I alternate fish emulsion and seaweed. I don't feed from July 1 until mid September, to give them a rest. They slow down then anyway. We're always in the 90's during the summer here in SE Virginia. If you apply hardwood mulch that will feed the soil and keep their roots cool. I don't bring it up so it touches the canes, just within a couple inches of them.