You might cut back your perennials in the fall, pull out the last of the year's weeds, and tidy up the beds. But what about your roses? Once the roses have finished blooming and the weather gets colder, it's time to prepare them for next season. But should you cut the roses in autumn?
Although many gardeners only prune their roses in the spring, fall rose pruning is a great option to get the most out of your plants for the coming year. This means they can survive the winter and bloom profusely in spring and summer. In this article you will find out in which cases you should cut the roses in autumn and what you should pay attention to.
Cutting roses in autumn: what should you pay attention to?
Rose care in autumn includes a few steps such as pruning thin and dead shoots and removing wilted and diseased foliage. If you stick to these tasks, you can be sure that your roses will be able to bloom again after winter. If you've never trimmed your roses in the fall before, just read on to make sure you care for your plants properly.
Is pruning roses necessary in autumn?
The best time for a radical pruning of bed and roses is spring. In some cases, however, it makes sense to carry out pruning in the autumn. Please note that young rose bushes should not be cut until they are fully grown and established. The first pruning should then take place in autumn and lateronce in spring.
If you decide to prune in the fall, wait until growth has stopped and cut the noble plants before the first frost. Always remember that they should only be cut lightly. The aim is to provide protective pruning and not to stimulate growth, as the roses should go into the resting phase.
How effective rose pruning is in the fall depends on what types of roses you grow. Shrub and climbing roses in particular benefit from autumn pruning, if you only cut back the longer shoots to around 45-60 cm so that they do not break in severe winter storms. If this does happen and some shoots break in winter, simply cut them back to keep the plant healthy.
Crossing shoots should also be cut back, as should any thin, weak growth that is thinner than a pencil. When removing them, cut just above an outward-facing bud to ensure new growth starts at the end of the old stem.
Pay attention to the shape of the shrub when you prune it because you don't want the new branches crossing each other when the growing season begins next year.
Also remove the larger leaves because the weight of the snow on the foliage can cause the stems to break.
Also look for cuttings at the base of the plant that start below the soil surface and pull them away from the mother plant rather than cutting them back, otherwise dormant buds may remain at the base of the shoot, leading to more cuttings.
Apply a 15-20cm layer of mulch around the base of the plants after cutting to prevent frost damage.
Should you cut off the dried flowers?
If you're planning on caring for roses in the fall, you're probably wondering whether the dead flowers should be removed. If you cut off the old flowers, you encourage new flower formation. The danger here is that the sap is squeezed into the outer tender shoots and an unexpected frost can freeze it.
It is therefore advisable to only cut off the dried flowers in spring and summer when this danger has passed. In the fall, you can only carefully remove the dried petals to avoid rot. If your rose produces rose hips, leave them on the stem.
Pruning roses in autumn: Remove diseased leaves
Remove and carefully dispose of any rose petals in the fall that show signs of diseases such as rose rust, powdery mildew, or sooty mold. Also collect any infected leaves lying in the bed, as these can transmit the diseases again next year.
Rose powdery mildew is one of themost common rose disease, which is favored by a lot of moisture. You should therefore make sure that your roses have plenty of room to breathe, which is one reason why pruning in the fall is beneficial.
Clean your pruners carefully after each pruning to prevent spreading disease to other plants.
Also read:When to cut roses that bloom more often? Recognize the right time and use the best technique
