Pruning the Rose Bush

Pat

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I usually prune the rose bush in the fall around November when it is just being to get cold in our area. This year it got cold so I forgot to prune the bush. If the plant is not pruned in the fall when is the next best time to prune it? Does anyone here know if that will harm the plant and what if I just leave it alone and do not prune it at all?
 
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I know our rose bush here at the house we hadn't been pruning back, and while it didn't grow great in the spring, it did still grow. It took off better after it was pruned, though.
The best time, aside from fall, would be spring, before the growing season starts or gets too hot.

I hate pruning roses, though...
 
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Pat, I didn't prune my miniature roses in the fall either, because it was still very warm and they were growing and producing new leaves. I plan to prune them in the beginning of spring.
I did the same a few years ago and it did didn't harm them:)
 
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I always do my rose pruning in the fall. However, you do not need to prune your roses every year. It's OK to skip a year or two in between pruning. I know some people who never prune their roses but have beautiful ones blooming every year.
 
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Pat - As pruning is not only essential to the health of a rose bush but also for the number of blooms it produces it is advisable to prune it once a year - if you want a strong healthy rose bush that flowers prolifically every year - the only exception to this is that sometimes some of the rambling varieties can get by without being pruned.

Although the best time to prune a rose bush depends a little on the type of climate it lives in - but in general the best time to prune a rose is when they are dormant - which for most parts of the World is considered to be late Winter - somewhere between December and February.

If you prune too early as for instance - in the Autumn you will often find that the rose starts to shoot again, especially if the weather is warmer than normal - which isn't good for the plant as it doesn't allow it rest and therefore results in a weaker plant that will be more prone to disease.

So if you want strong healthy roses that bloom prolifically each year - it is not only essential to prune them correctly once a year but also at the right time :)

Also if its of any help - am sure that I recently put some of this information and how to prune a rose correctly - under the thread title " Best time to prune " which is in the " Rose " section of this forum :)
 
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I know I already commented but I do want to add something that may be helpful. When you prune, be careful of how much you take off. Most people make the mistake of taking too much of the plant off. Take about half as much off the plant as you think you should. Remember, less is more when it comes to pruning.
 
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I know I already commented but I do want to add something that may be helpful. When you prune, be careful of how much you take off. Most people make the mistake of taking too much of the plant off. Take about half as much off the plant as you think you should. Remember, less is more when it comes to pruning.
This is very true. When I pruned my miniature roses for the very first time, I had absolutely no idea how to do it and I ended up taking too much of my plants off. I felt so sorry for them afterwards! They seemed so small and injured:(
I learned my lesson and now, I'm more careful.
 
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As someone said, "It depends on climate". Where I am in Southern England is pretty unpredictable, we get Atlantic weather.
That means I will prune back in autumn, but not too far. Roses hate being at all loose at the base, this stops them having too much windage and swaying about when those Atlantic gales hit. On the other hand if we get on the wrong side of a weather system we get arctic air drawn down and it gets cold, that can cause die back on pruned stems. In Spring I re-prune, going all the way back to the bud I want to shoot from.
I saw someone earlier saying 'Better to err on the side of caution', not my opinion, leaving too much leads to weak growth and less bloom. I leave three good buds on my final prune on the whole.
I quite enjoy shaping a bush, taking out cross branches and such, but there is a film of two identical rose beds. One gets pruned by two experts who take all day over it and the other is chopped square with a chain saw. Months later in full flower they look the same. I don't know what would happen in following years, taking out all the rubbish and letting the air through certainly seems to help contain fungal infections.
 

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