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Partial cane loss on climbers - what to do?

7 years ago

Despite not fertilizing past July in my zone 6 garden many of my roses, particularly my climbers (Eden in particular), send up a lot of new growth in late fall and experience partial cane loss during the winter. I usually only prune the dead/damaged part of the cane off but this leaves several short main canes that I can't really train horizontal. Sometimes the new growth will be strong and act like a continuation of the original cane, sometimes not. The plant looks less balanced like this, however. Do any of you experience this? Do you prune just the dead/damaged portion or do you remove the entire cane for aesthetics? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

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Comments (3)

Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
7 years ago
I might just prune off the dead parts in your zone and save all you can to strengthen the plant as best you can.
Dave5bWY thanked Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
oldrosarian
7 years ago
If you have to cut off a main cane and it leaves a hole, you can then train a lateral cane to fill the open space.
Dave5bWY thanked oldrosarian
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Yeah, that doesn't look so good. Although, those are nice sized canes there, and Ghislaine is a repeat bloomer, so I'm assuming you'd get some blooms on the new growth. I still think it is the spring wind that burns up the canes, not temperatures. Besides checking out eglanteria and multiflora hybrids for better hardiness, I've been thinking of building a contraption. Printshops get large cartons of paper, at least 23 inches by 35 inches. These boxes have a flat sheet of cardboard inside them to protect the paper. Generally, at least around here, they'll give them to you. You could make quite a large cover for a climber out of these, then fill with leaves, grass, etc. Then you should water it so the filling is moist. If that doesn't work, I'm giving up climbers. I'm going to check out Blossomtime and Geschwinds Nordland rose. Zone 4 and zone 2, respectively. Nordland rose has no scent. Fact is, it seems like a lot of climbers have no scent. And I've come to the conclusion that scent is the most important thing. So all I want is to find a couple that will make it around here. This year I've got Alchemist coming. Brownell Golden Glow crossed with rosa eglanteria. Golden Glow's parents are both hybrid wichurana, so I don't expect too much luck. Around here, though all we had was the Gurney's catalogue when I was a kid, which sold lots of Brownells. I can remember some old ladies growing Golden Glow.
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Gotcha, Mad gallica, on the shrubby thing. I don't want shrubby. The area is about a ten foot privacy wall between our driveway and our neighbor's property. There is only about two feet of clearance between the fence and the driveway, so shrubby definitely won't do it. At our old home I grew several of the David Austin roses with great success. I remember one of them, Abraham Darby--that is the type of graceful, arching aspect I am thinking of. Canes would get to be about 7-8 feet long, as I recall. I remember severely pruning it at the end of the season and then mounding some hay over it--i.e., no dramatic protection--and each year it bloomed just as beautifully. That is kind of what I am thinking of. I am also beginning to think that I am going to have to deal with mulch if I want to grow something really beautiful. Also--just for my own understanding: Climbers don't necessarily have to grow on old wood, correct? If I don't need to preserve the canes, then I could use any long-caned rose in that location, right? That's kind of where I am leaning. Sorry for all of the questions. Thank you again! philosopher
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Moses, Pittsburgh, W. PA., zone 5/6, USA
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
This happens frequently with late season new cane growth. These late canes often cannot harden off their entire cane's length, so a portion from the tip on in dies back. Sometimes the entire cane dies. Obviously the dead portion has to be cut back to good, live wood, just for the health of the climber. Then, it's a question of what to do with the remaining section of cane that only died partially back.

Such pruned canes, if they have a good diameter size at the pruning cut where good wood is evident, are capable of supporting a husky replacement tip that should emerge from the first bud below the cut. This replacement tip should grow from the end of the good portion of cane. If the cane is located in a crucial spot that fills in what would otherwise be a gap in the climber, save it indeed.

A late season cane can sadly die all the way back to its origin. However, a late season cane that only dies back partially, but is not needed to fill in an empty space, a gap in the climber, could be cut back all the way to its origin point. Also, an approximately 6" section of a non-crucial cane could be left attached to where it originated, specially if is higher up on the climber. Then you will get some flower production out of it.
Dave5bWY thanked Moses, Pittsburgh, W. PA., zone 5/6, USA

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