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#1
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Knock-Out Rose question
Last fall I pruned my knock-out roses to about 3 inches above the
graft. I noticed brown core in the center of one of the thickest canes. I cut it back further to see if it cleared and it did. Is this normal? What is it? |
#2
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Knock-Out Rose question
wrote in message
oups.com... Last fall I pruned my knock-out roses to about 3 inches above the graft. I noticed brown core in the center of one of the thickest canes. I cut it back further to see if it cleared and it did. Is this normal? What is it? Dieback. Rose canes look like that when they become weak and/or die. Best to prune back to white/cream center (called "pith") where you know it is healthy, which is apparently what you did. I don't have a Knockout rose but 3" seems to me to be rather severe pruning for anything other than a mini. I googled pruning Knockout and found one site that recommended no pruning for the first two years, then remove one third of the oldest canes each year. http://www.bloomindesigns.com/c=lKJY....pruningroses/ If the whole link won't work, try going to www.bloomindesigns.com and then searching on Knockout rose. That recommendation suggests to me that you don't need to do a severe pruning of all the canes, as you did. But Knockout sounds like a really hardy rose and yours will probably do ok. Gail near San Antonio TX Zone 8 |
#3
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Knock-Out Rose question
wrote in message
oups.com... Thank you Gail. I did not know all this info about roses existed. One big reason I prune so severely is we live on a windy ridge. The first year it go so windy that at the base of each cane there was about an inch of air before the dirt began, I think this would cause forst and ice to get into the roots. Roses are pretty sturdy once established. I guess it depends on how long your roses have been in the ground and what kind of soil you have. That said, I'm not sure what you mean by "an inch of air before the dirt began". If you mean that the rootstock below the bud union was exposed about an inch down, you can pile up some dirt to the base of the bud union (graft). Maybe I'll cut less and then stake a burlap "house" around them each fall? That might work. You could check out the American Rose Society www.ars.org They have articles on winterizing roses. The articles are in a public area so you don't have to be a member to access them. I live in an area that seldom gets winter so I have very little experience with winterizing. I like to recommend the Ortho and Sunset books on gardening. They're relatively cheap (about $15, I think), are well written and well illustrated. Good basic advice. Welcome to the addictive world of roses! Gail near San Antonio TX Zone 8 |
#4
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Knock-Out Rose question
No, I mean that the wind was whipping the canes so severely the soil
around the cane was recedeing, exposing the the cane portion below the surface to the elements. This is exactly the same way people's gum recede in their mouths due to grinding teeth while sleeping. |
#5
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Knock-Out Rose question
wrote in message
oups.com... No, I mean that the wind was whipping the canes so severely the soil around the cane was recedeing, exposing the the cane portion below the surface to the elements. This is exactly the same way people's gum recede in their mouths due to grinding teeth while sleeping. Whoa, that is some wind! Perhaps adding some kind of barrier is a good idea, as you mentioned. Gail |
#6
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Knock-Out Rose question
Wow! I am new to roses, but I think mulch can only help this situation --
even if it does not cover the base of the canes, maybe it would help keep moisture in when you water. Are you sure it is wind that is "de-soiling" your roses? Could soil be washing away when it rains? It might be helpful if you tell us where you a what country, what gardening "zone." Anne wrote in message oups.com... No, I mean that the wind was whipping the canes so severely the soil around the cane was recedeing, exposing the the cane portion below the surface to the elements. This is exactly the same way people's gum recede in their mouths due to grinding teeth while sleeping. |
#7
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Knock-Out Rose question
I am in Maryland. I am positive that the wind is the guilty party. I am
glad that I posted because I did not know I was not really supposed to cut roses to the knot each fall. |
#8
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Knock-Out Rose question
wrote in message
ups.com... I am in Maryland. I am positive that the wind is the guilty party. I am glad that I posted because I did not know I was not really supposed to cut roses to the knot each fall. When we moved into our present house about 12 years ago, there were some rose bushes against a chain link fence. My husband pruned them according to some information he found about pruning Hybrid Teas. Unfortunately they are climbers. Needless to say, they never quite recovered *as* climbers, but they still have nice blooms (Cl. America). I made some really dumb mistakes early in my rose gardening experience, and lost a bunch of roses. Live and learn! If you didn't actually prune the entire top part of the shrub (called the "scion"), your roses will probably recover. Watch for canes that grow out from *below* the bud union (what you call the knot). Those canes are from the rootstock and are not desirable. Cut them all the way back to the root if they do grow, otherwise they will take over your bush. You might not get canes from below the knot, so don't worry if you don't. Gail near San Antonio TX Zone 8 |
#9
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Knock-Out Rose question
I have a climber too, "Forth of July" but I did not cut this nearly so
low, left about 3" above the knot. I planted it last summer but had a lot of troubles with rabbits eating the leaves, so I put 3 foot high chicken wire around them. The roses took a lot to recover from the rabbits and whatever did bloom was hidden by the fence. Bummer. I like the roses they look nice all summer. I just need to learn and read more. |
#10
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Knock-Out Rose question
wrote in message
oups.com... I have a climber too, "Forth of July" but I did not cut this nearly so low, left about 3" above the knot. I planted it last summer but had a lot of troubles with rabbits eating the leaves, so I put 3 foot high chicken wire around them. The roses took a lot to recover from the rabbits and whatever did bloom was hidden by the fence. Bummer. I like the roses they look nice all summer. I just need to learn and read more. I've had rabbits go after some roses and ignore others. I'm on my third copy of a Bourbon (old garden rose) called Souvenir de la Malmaison. The first two copies were eaten by rabbits, which left the other roses in the same bed alone. Finally I did as you did, put a chicken wire fence around it and left it for two years. Now it's doing fine, even without the rabbit barrier. If your Fourth of July climber recovers from the severe pruning it should be ok (rabbit proof) once it gets bigger. Gail near San Antonio TX Zone 8 |
#11
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Knock-Out Rose question
Gail,
Thanks for the advice. Do you have any plans for a trelice to tie my Forth of July too? |
#12
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Knock-Out Rose question
wrote in message
oups.com... Gail, Thanks for the advice. Do you have any plans for a trelice to tie my Forth of July too? Someone who used to post here regularly recommended trellises made of re-bar. If you google re-bar or rebar rose trellis you'll find a whole bunch of information on trellises made out of different kinds of metal. I have a handy husband who builds arbors and other supports out of wood for my roses. Gail |
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