Water Shoots

20 years ago

Good Morning,

Could someone tell me how I should or should not prune water shoots once the blooms have finised? Also how I treat them come winter pruning?

Thanks

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Comments (5)

cimmaron
20 years ago
Hiya Startingout,
Welcome to the rose addiction site :)
The watershoots are the new framework for your rosebush so
just remove the flowering stem down to an outward facing growthbud which is on strong wood.
Come winter pruning you would leave the new shoots there(trim to the size you like) and cut out old canes completely(The aged woody looky ones).
Hope this helps
regards sandie
Rosalie
20 years ago
Dear Startingout, regarding watershoots. My mother who was a horticulturist and rose grower of some note here in W.A. always taught me that watershoots were something a bit special to be treasured and protected. Not all varieties of roses throw them. When they occur, just do a basic deadheading. Come winter, they should be strong and sturdy, and hardened off so you can prune them to the desired height and use them to structure the framework and therefore the shape of your bush. A bush that is a good producer of watershoots is plus. ( Just a note, my mother in law, (an older lady from Yorkshire, and confirmed rose lover) for some reason thought watershoots were like 'suckers' and should be pulled off A.S.A.P once you saw how they were growing. Consequently her roses never grew as vigorously as you might have expected. I was always puzzled, I knew she looked after her bushes well because I usually was the one to pick up all her fertilizers and manures for her and I also spray the bushes for her. What was happening? while the old love was blaming Bunbury's lousy sandy soil for the lack of advancement over the years of her rose bushes, all the time one of her roses produced a watershoot she'd rip it off. I didn't find out what was happenning till I rocked up one day on a unscheduled visit, in time to see her rip off a couple of watershoots of some of her newish bushes.I sort of went AAAGGGHHH what are you doing ? and she said 'don't you know you should always pull these off' suddenly ' The Curious Case of The Underperforming Roses' has been solved. Her roses are now assuming what I would call a normal growth pattern and rate). Best Wishes for every success with your roses and may the passion last a lifetime.
Rosalie.

Here is a link that might be useful: GardenWeb Australia
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juliaf
20 years ago
I'm just kinda starting out too. Could you please tell me what a water shoot is and how do you recognise one? Are they the long skinny canes coming up from the bud union? If so, mine are miles long but haven't flowered yet. Should I leave them until they do flower, or should I trim them back a little?
Regards
Julia
femmeradsy
20 years ago
Just look at where it is growing from. If it is below the union, it is a sucker. Suckers also tend to have different-looking sets of leaves. These are the ones you don't want. Rip them off if possible - cutting them seems to just encourage them! But if the growth is from the bud union or above, it is a watershoot and precious. If you let it grow, it will get quite tall and then you will get a lovely flower (or cluster of flowers) at the top, then you can trim it like any other branch. I know some people who don't let them flower first, and maybe that does encourage more growth, but I just love the flowers too much!
wattleblossom
20 years ago
On some roses, water shoots can be quite delicate. They can often be ripped off at the base by wind or heavy rain, (especilly with the weight of flowers at the top). Get in first and tie them loosely to a fine, green plastic covered stake slid gently into the ground at the same angle as the shoot, (you'll hardly notice it). The stake can be removed once the shoot has hardened up.