Roses are on everyone’s “to-do” list when constructing a garden of their own.  When they are cared for correctly you are rewarded with healthy foliage and glorious healthy blooms that have been admired and loved for centuries.  In establishing healthy roses, pruning is a very necessary factor that proves essential.  Pruning roses also aids with retaining the vigor of the plant while eliminating damaging diseases and infestations. 

Growing roses is very rewarding and knowing when to prune roses is as essential as watering and supplying nutrients to them. When to prune can vary depending on the types of roses you are growing.

Climbing roses

Climbing roses should be pruned immediately after the flowers begin to bloom during the springtime.  Simply cut back the length of the laterals six to twelve inches.  Climbing Hybrid Tea Roses should be pruned once they are established.  Knowing when to prune your roses is very important, especially if you are growing the “climbing” type because it helps in retaining the climbing habit.  After approximately two years, ensure you remove the oldest wood.

Grandifloras, Hybrid Perpetuals and Floribundas

When you see swelling of the buds in the spring is when you should prune these varieties.  Grandifloras should have their canes removed after two years from the base of the plant.  Floribundas should be pruned until the second bud below the flower head.  Hybrid Perpetuals are pruned by simply removing disease-infested growths while thinning them leaving eight healthy shoots with ample space between them.

Hybrid Teas, Polyanthus and Shrubs

It is not necessary to heavily prune these varieties.  These roses require pruning immediately after flowering begins in the spring.  Remove the old canes, diseased woods, and any part that fails to bloom.  When the blooms appear, remove dead branches, diseased wood and recent flowered canes while leaving the new shoots unpruned.

Facts to know before pruning

The roses should be matured.  Roses will not survive pruning without proper maturity and this takes approximately one year after planting.  Many people are confused about when the best time is to prune their roses. It largely depends upon the climate where you live but generally it is very late in the winter or very early in the spring.

How can I tell when the roses are ready for pruning?

Take a close look at your roses and if you can see swelling buds this is a sure sign that rose pruning should be performed.  With experience you will develop a good knowledge of when to prune roses and you will be ensuring the optimum growth of the plant along with beautiful blooms for the next season.

The Knockout Rose is a new and popular plant.  Plant lovers relatively love this rose however; the downside is that it is susceptible to many plant diseases.  The year 2000 first brought this plant to our attention and it quickly developed a reputation as being easy to grow and easy to maintain.  It is very important to understand how to treat the common plant diseases this rose is exposed to which proves crucial in producing beautiful bushes of Knockout Roses.

Rust Disease

The orange powdery dust of rust appears under the leaves of this rose.  Moist conditions can encourage rust to thrive because it is a fungal disease.  This disease occurs when the climate is consistently wet.  Wet conditions leave moisture on the bush and dries on the flowers as well as the foliage.  Overwatering can also be a cause.  Be very careful not to overwater these roses. 

Black Spot Disease

Yellowing occurs on the edges of the stems and leaves as well as dark circles. This is a fungal disease.  Unfortunately, this disease is not curable but it can be cut back in preventing spreading of the disease.  If this disease is left untreated, it will kill your Knockout Rose bush.

Stem Canker Disease

This is caused by water that contains fungus.  This disease causes sores that kill the foliage of Knockout Roses with spreading from the reddish-brown injury that occurs and higher.  This is due to the cane becoming infected due to cuts in the skin.

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Organic gardening is a must for all those who are concerned about their family’s health as well as the well being of nature and the planet. .  Organic rose gardening is not as difficult as you might think and it is ultimately quite rewarding to know that you are working in harmony with nature.  The overuse of pesticides and toxics has been shown to have a wide array of negative impacts, from affecting the health of people and pets to affecting natural river systems and indigenous animals and plants.  If you have a fish pond in your garden then you definitely want to pursue the organic option as many pesticides can cause fish to die..

When it comes to gardening with roses, organic gardening is really no different than for any other plant. 

A good start for the organic gardener is to initiate a compost pile in your garden.   , it will also produce natural, high-quality organic fertilizer for your plants.  A simple compost pile is easy to set up, and it will provide rich, humus-rich soil that will help your plants thrive. Find a spot in your garden that you can begin to throw all organic kitchen waste and garden cuttings – this will be the start of your compost pile.

Compost acts as a brilliant mulch for your roses and it also enhances the soil quality by adding necessary nutrients.   You can put down about three inches of compost on top of your rose garden as a mulch – this will ensure that water doesn’t evaporate from the soil as quickly and will add important nutrients into the soil.

Putting down a good quality mulch will also encourage healthier, stronger rose bushes which are more resistant to diseases and pests.

Prevention is always better than cure and one can do a lot to prevent pests and diseases from afflicting your roses.  Some preventative methods are: ensuring enough air circulation within plants, planting your roses in sunny spots and avoiding watering the foliage of the plant (water the base only).

Pesticides are sometimes necessary, but you can usually find organic versions at your local garden center.   Usually, gardeners recommend the garden fungicide known as Bordeaux mixture.  However, Bordeaux mix has a copper base that is known to impact bees and has long term negative impact on soils.   An organic solution is a much healthier one and there are numerous organic fungicides available on the market.   Alternatively, using the following home-made rose fungicide will also deter the fungus from even starting on your roses.  Dissolve 1 rounded tablespoon of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) in 4.5 litres of water. Add 2¹/₂ tablespoons of Pest Oil.   Stir the mixture well and spray weekly on roses to prevent black spot and mildew.

Similarly, a potassium bicarbonate fungicide is an organic way to chase away mildew during the growing season, especially in areas with extreme humidity.  It has the added advantage of being safer than the homemade solutions that many rose growers use. If the fungus infection has spread quickly and you didn’t catch it early enough, try using copper or sulfur fungicides. 

If you’re dedicated to organic rose gardening, then one of the first things you’ll need to learn is to put up with some imperfections in your roses.  It’s a small price to pay for a healthy garden and healthy family.!