STOP! Should I cut, prune my Roses now, by Walking Talking Gardeners on YouTube. 11 min 6 s.
- Video length
- 11 min 6 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Check your rose type first. Hybrid Teas and Floribundas get their main prune in March, climbing roses in spring, and shrub roses need only light shaping. Knowing the type tells you what to cut now.
In autumn, limit yourself to remedial cuts. Remove only dead, diseased or dying wood, cutting back to healthy green growth. Leave the rest of the plant alone until spring.
Make each cut just above an outward-facing bud, slanting away from it. This sends new growth outward rather than into the middle of the bush.
Do not hard prune in late summer or autumn. Cutting back into healthy wood now pushes soft new shoots that frost will kill and opens wounds that disease can enter.
Clear all fallen leaves and pruned stems from around the base. Aphids and disease carry over on this debris, so bin it rather than adding it to the compost.
Leave the rose hips on shrub and wild roses through autumn and winter. They feed birds and give you a reason not to cut those plants back yet.
Wait until March for the main prune. Cut out the oldest third of stems at the base, shorten the rest, and aim for a goblet shape with an open middle for airflow.
In summer, deadhead faded blooms down to a strong leaf to encourage a second flush of flowers. Stop deadheading in late summer so hips can form.
Tips and common mistakes
Clean your secateurs with rubbing alcohol between bushes so you do not spread disease from one rose to another.
A goblet shape with an open centre lets air through and helps prevent blackspot and mildew.
Do not cut healthy stems in autumn just to tidy the bush. A few untidy stems are better than frost-killed new growth.
Questions
Can I prune roses in October?
Only remove dead, diseased or damaged wood in October. Save the main structural prune for March, or spring for climbers, so new growth is not hit by frost.
What happens if I prune roses in autumn?
The cut encourages soft new shoots that frost kills, and the open wounds can let disease in. The plant also loses the hips that feed wildlife over winter.
Should I cut back long stems on a climbing rose now?
Tie in or trim only what is in the way. Do the real prune of climbing roses in spring, after the worst frosts have passed.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
