"Tom Sherwood" wrote in message
...
some of my hybrid teas are 15-20 years old. their bud unions have become
very large and gnarly, and much of them is dead wood. some have caves and
tunnels in them. (one filled with a little dirt and grass started growing
in it; cute.) i have tried sawing away the dead wood, but there are
problems, such as ugly looking squared-off dead wood, not being able to
get down to living union, multiple hand punctures and cutting my drip
line!
what i want to know, is: how do you all deal with these big, old, dead bud
unions.
i suppose that by removeing the dead wood and getting down to living
tissue will allow new basal breaks.

I have two roses that are about 12 years old with bud
unions as you describe, including some termites living
in there. How they continue putting out new growth
(leaves, blooms) is beyond me. On younger plants
when I find such dead areas I use white glue to cover
the holes. I don't know if that's a great idea, but thought
it was something to try.

One thing you might try on more solid parts of the
bud union is cut or scrape off some of the bark.
I've read that can encourage basil breaks. I do it
when I prune and just use the tip of my secaturs.

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8