Do i need to prune or cut back knock-out roses?
tlbean2004
7 years ago
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jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRelated Discussions
Cut back my knock out rose by 6 inches or more will it still bloo
Comments (5)I am a first year gardner, and I got mad at my Knockouts because they had black spot last year I had cleaned the leaves away and cleaned up the entire area...free of any dieased leaves, and this year they had black spot on their canes.....So, I hacked them back to about 6 inches, in March, and now they are soooo healthy looking....and I started treating them now for black spot....I figured it is better to start controlling it now. and not let it get a headstart. Whether they will bloom, I dunno, but the bushes look great and healthy! :)...See Moreknock out roses doing poorly
Comments (5)It's hard to tell without looking at your soil, but I am going to make a guess based on my own difficult experience. My garden soil is terrible, a gluey, rockfilled mess that has been amended by myself and the previous owner, but I slowly learned with the overwhelming mess of clay and bottomless number of fill rocks large and small, the amending wasn't nearly enough. I did learn to dig, dig, dig in more organics AND, based on a comment in a rose book, add Perlite. You see, things would be fine in the cooler spring temps, but when the temps soared, that airless rocky clay just seemed to be choking the life out of the bushes. Plus, I later read that iron moves particularly slowly in heavy clay, and sure enough by late summer some of my bushes began to have typical lack-of-iron symptoms (chlorosis). My symptoms were poor sad growth, and some bushes would just die. I also had a disgusting grub problem, I would dig up the soil and there was grub after disgusting grub I mashed. Then I treated my garden with milky spore disease. All the amending, perlite, and milky spore disease seems to have improved things, but the improvements continue, and it IS back-breaking work. So I am wondering if you have lousy soil + you said your garden is at the base of a hill, so maybe you have water pooling there drowning/suffocating the roots. And the problem is really showing up as the temps rise?...See MoreCan I prune my double knock out roses now?
Comments (16)I haven't had roses long either, but I think it is fairly easy to see where to prune in the spring. Wait to do it after your last frost which should be around March or April. It is a signal for your rose to start growing again so wait until you are sure it is safe. Now, when you look at your rose this spring you will see brown ends on the canes. That is dead wood, and you will cut all of that out. Make your first cut just below the brown wood into the green part of the cane. If you don't see any green cane then prune down to the soil. If the green cane is all white inside like an apple, it is good wood. If the inside is brown then you need to prune further down. Watch for dark areas on the green canes. That is canker and you need to prune below any canker you see. Once you have finished pruning seal all the cuts with something. I use regular white glue, but you can use carpenter's glue or nail polish. That will keep out borers which would otherwise lay their eggs inside the cut end of the cane. Feel free to stop by the rose forum for more advice. I post there quite often and everyone is very helpful....See MoreKnock-Out Roses - Need Advice ASAP, Please!
Comments (7)Since you have to do something now and they are covering the entrance, you could just prune back on each side so that there is plenty of room for access up and down the steps. Then, in late winter when the ground is workable, dig them up, getting as big a rootball as possible and re-plant them at least 6 ft away from the steps. If the bush is too big and awkward to work with, cut it down about half way and then dig it up and re-plant. Water it in its new spot--slowly and deeply (flood it actually, unless the ground is rather moist already). Perhaps water it in several times in a row--and do it several times during the next week (unless it rains). Several weeks later in early spring, if you want, you can do some selective pruning--prune out any parts that are black or brown (dead)-- and perhaps shape it a bit if your fall pruning left it a bit lop-sided, but just accept that you can't do a lot shape-wise at that point. Do not panic if it is slow to get started in the spring. It will have to grow some new roots and take time to settle in. By the way, what gardening zone are you in (or what region or state)? It is sometimes easier to give specific instructions if we know. I am in Zone 6 (Kansas) and my advice is based on what I would do here in my zone. Good luck, Kate This post was edited by dublinbay on Mon, Oct 6, 14 at 18:25...See Moreseil zone 6b MI
7 years agonippstress - zone 5 Nebraska
7 years agoLindsay K
7 years agomodestgoddess z6 OH
7 years agoLogan L Johnson
7 years ago
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Patty W. zone 5a Illinois