STOP! Prune Roses NOW - but avoid these five autumn mistakes!, by Walking Talking Gardeners on YouTube. 10 min 22 s.
- Video length
- 10 min 22 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Hold off on any heavy prune in September. Cutting roses back hard now pushes soft new growth that cold weather will kill.
Walk around each rose and cut out only wood that is dead, diseased or dying. Make the cut into healthy green stem, just above a bud.
Remove thin, crossing and inward-growing stems so the bush opens into a goblet shape. This lets light and air reach the centre.
Wipe your secateurs with rubbing alcohol before you start and between bushes. Dirty blades spread rose diseases from plant to plant.
Cut just above an outward-facing bud and slant the cut away from it. This sends new growth outward and stops water sitting on the cut.
Tidy rambling roses after flowering by removing old flowered stems. Leave climbing roses mostly alone until winter or early spring.
Do not prune Hybrid Teas and Floribundas now. Leave them until March, when the worst of the frost has passed.
On old shrub roses, only remove dead wood and keep the hips on the plant. The hips feed birds through winter and look good too.
Tips and common mistakes
Never make a heavy cut in autumn just because the plant looks untidy.
Clean your blades between every bush to avoid spreading disease.
Leave rose hips on the plant for winter birds and colour.
Sharpen your secateurs before pruning so cuts heal cleanly.
Questions
Can I cut my roses back hard in September?
No. A hard prune now encourages soft growth that frost will damage. Wait until March for Hybrid Teas and Floribundas.
What can I safely cut in autumn?
Only dead, diseased, dying or crossing stems. This tidies the plant and improves airflow without forcing new growth.
Why does the goblet shape matter?
An open centre lets light and air through, which helps prevent fungal problems like blackspot over winter.
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.
