Prune roses for dormant season, apply mulch

There is no magical, specific date to prune roses. According to all accounts and professional rosarians, the proper time is “late winter.” This has many meanings. The bottom line is that one needs to prune late enough that there’s little risk of frost damage to the tender growth that will emerge from pruning. In this area, the last average frost date is late March, so that means it is probably safe pruning in mid- to late-February.

After this pruning, one can usually expect a flush of blooms 8 to 12 weeks later, depending on the temperatures during that period. The warmer it is, the shorter the time to blooms. But all things being equal, by pruning in the latter half of February, gardeners will likely have blooms in later April.

The main reason for the major late-winter pruning is to reset the plants’ biological clock. A wake-up call to begin a new life cycle; like restarting a factory.

The following procedures mostly apply to hybrid teas and floribundas; they are reasonably applicable for minis. They are not really applicable to climbers, ground cover roses, trailers, or shrub roses – all those types have their own pruning methods.

To do the job right, one needs to have a range of pruner sizes handy. Each size has a limit to the diameter thickness for which it is most efficiently used. Using too small of a pruner on too large of a cane can damage both.

At minimum, have a pair of loppers and a standard-sized pair of hand pruners. If there are some older plants with large canes that may need to be removed, a saw is a handy tool to have. All pruners should be kept clean, sharp, and in good repair.

Rubbing alcohol is ideal for cleaning pruners, before and during the job. It also helps prevent transmitting diseases from plant to plant, and you can use it as first aid for punctures and scratches to your skin. A good pair of leather gloves are necessary with long sleeves or separate pair of sleeves to protect injuries to arms.

Before starting the job, lubricate the moving parts of the pruners with a little light oil (such as three-in-one oil), and make sure they operate without resistance. Sharpen each blade with a small diamond file (available at garden centers), trying as much as possible to match the original bevel of the blade. Every 100 cuts or so, swipe the file over the blade a few times to keep it sharp. If it is noticeable that the pruners are crushing the stems and/or leaving a tail, it’s past time to sharpen!

It is important to decide what style of pruning one wants. I find this works well with the way buds are distributed along the cane. Buds are found in the “axel” where a leaf meets the cane; leaves spiral around the cane at about 1.5” intervals. This places outward-facing buds about four inches apart. If I prune lightly to moderately, and if frost damages the tender young growth, then I know I can still re-prune to the next bud down.

In Southern California, rose bushes can grow quite large, so I start with some gross pruning to bring the project down to size. I use loppers to cut every bush down to about three-feet high. This lets me examine the structure of the bush, and to use my hand pruners to more easily remove canes that are twiggy, dead, crossing other canes, or passing through the center of the plant. I also remove old leaves as I go along so I can easily see the structure of the plant. After removing all that stuff from the interior of the bush, it’s possible to do the final pruning. Attempt to leave a domed top to the degree possible so the plant will bush out in a pleasing, balanced manner.

There are two kinds of cuts to be made. Some cuts remove the entire branch; these cuts are made flush with the surface of the parent cane. Other cuts simply shorten a cane. It is important to position the pruners in order to minimize damage to the plant. Take a look at the pruners and notice that they have a sharp cutting blade (which slices through the cane), and a dull curved non-cutting blade (which holds the cane in place during the cut). These are called bypass pruners, the only type recommended. Position the pruners so the non-cutting blade is in contact with the portion of the cane that will be removed, and the cutting blade is on the side of the cut that will remain on the plant. This will make more sense when holding the pruners and getting ready to cut! Also, always prune above an outward facing bud with an angled cut.

A word of caution when pruning: Look for the small nests of hummingbirds, as this is the nesting period for two varieties in our area. Also, if praying mantis egg cases are discovered on any branches removed, find a place to put them where they will be undisturbed and hatch out so the benefit of the offspring will remain.

Be sure to dispose of all cut off material into a green waste bin. Clean the ground thoroughly of all rose debris. Apply a dormant spray to the plants and the soil surface to ward off diseases. Then add two- to four-inches of composted mulch to cover the entire garden area.