Thread: Should I do pruning now?

Thanks, hoovb and diane!! I almost did pruning on this wonderful Sunday here. Good thing I asked first!! How about the buds? Just let them do their things? I also want to confirm: I should not give them anymore fertilizer until next spring, right? Some of my rose canes' diameter are very small, how should I help them to grow bigger?

spring will be here all too soon Does spring ever come too soon? ;)

No, hoov, it doesn't... I'm not sure we had Spring this year! DO OVER!!!! ;-)) I'm in a warmer area (near-coastal NJ). I leave buds to do whatever they want to this time of year. Some bloom, some die. Quite a few plants (those that do) have already set hips. Any new growth is at its own peril. I have had years when there are blooms in Thanksgiving, I don't think this is one of them. I don't fertilize after August. Most...

Regarding your new growth getting ready to bloom? I'm not sure what to advise. With regards to that I will be very interested to read the advice of others who live in zone 6! My own initial inclination would be to wait until the sepals on those flowers bend down (if they do) and then pick those roses for the bud vases you probably have in your house. However, I'm not sure myself what to do about the presence of such new growth when...

I am in zone 6 in Northwest Missouri. I quit fertilizing but not watering after Labor Day as well. I don't do any pruning or even deadheading after that time either, except in the case of canes that could be so tall that the winter wind could dry them out and snap them off. That causes much more severe damage that you really don't want. Not deadheading also means that you will start seeing hips on many of your roses and that is...

If your roses are "leggy," you may cut back about one third, but hold off the pruning until the normal time in the spring. You don't want to send the wrong message now that it is fall. Be patient, spring will be here all too soon.

I am in zone 6B-East TN, and mine are all getting ready to bloom again - buds everywhere! While its cooled off some we still have nice warm sunny days in the 70's and up to 80's. To prepare mine, I usually trim out all of the dead as well as any really tall or leggy branches - being on top of a hill we do get winds in the winter so I like to prevent them from blowing any more than necessary. Curiously I checked out what the National...

My Teasing Georgias that I just planted this year..are huge. I placed them next to a rather large arbor we built. One on each side. They are of course doing the whole octopus thing! I have trained some to the arbor and must say these are very tall. I learned however that bending them one must be careful..they seem to easily break. Not all of the stems are trained as of yet to the arbor because I had to give up and let them travel to the fence...

Any buds on the plants right now, go ahead and let them bloom, and then let them go to seed. That lets the plant know to stop the growth and prepare to shutdown for the year. Don't encourage any new growth this late. Cause the first big freeze and it will be killed. Encourage your plants to go dormant.

jlj-- people do maintenance pruning at any time of the year, removing stuff that is in the way or growing the wrong way or looking unhealthy. There's no rule against touching your plants in fall, just don't do a hard pruning. Yes, vertical canes will only bloom at the top.