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#1
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Winter Cleanup Questions
The rule of thumb for full dormancy is at least 96 hours below 22F.
In your climate I would think that it is best to wait until spring to do ANY grooming/pruning. Tim "Shiva" wrote in message news:aHlwYXRpYQ==.83a57d452395633904f1f646c6884bed @1099763316.nulluser.com... I am in Raleigh, NC. This past summer and fall have been really busy around here so the roses have really been neglected. We got lots of rain, and I applied abundant organic material (leaf mold, hardwood mulch and Mills Mix)plus a time-release fertilizer last spring, so they have at least had lots of food and water. However, I have not sprayed since June 22, though I had sprayed (for fungus and a systemic for chewing and sucking insects) every ten days from April 15 through June 22. They did not defoliate, but do show signs of blackspot now. (No canker, though, thank goodness.) While I still have some gorgeous blooms, things are winding down and I expect the roses to go dormant some time in December-January. There are lots of fallen oak, maple, sycamore, and dogwood leaves all over everything at the moment, and the roses, mostly hybrid teas, floribundas and austins, are gangly and a mess. I want to start to clean in the spring. I plan to begin removing both the fall leaves and the fallen rose leaves his month. Due to the presence of blackspot I will discard both and not shred them for mulch this year. My question: Should I winter prune, since I have not so much as deadheaded any of them since July 1? "Putting them to bed" in the winter full of blackspot has in the past meant a devastating crop of canker in the spring. How can I make sure they are dormant? Some of them are fairly young and we do have snap hard freezes, so I do not want to prune while they are not dormant and risk getting the "sap" up in them and having them die in a freeze. How cold does it have to be and for how long before I can be sure they are dormant? How far can I cut safely cut them back? I am talking about the fl, ht, and shrub roses. My out-of-control climbers are another story. TIA for any advice from those who live in similar climates--or at least have winter weather. |
#2
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The rule of thumb for full dormancy is at least 96 hours below 22F.
In your climate I would think that it is best to wait until spring to do ANY grooming/pruning. Tim "Shiva" wrote in message news:aHlwYXRpYQ==.83a57d452395633904f1f646c6884bed @1099763316.nulluser.com... I am in Raleigh, NC. This past summer and fall have been really busy around here so the roses have really been neglected. We got lots of rain, and I applied abundant organic material (leaf mold, hardwood mulch and Mills Mix)plus a time-release fertilizer last spring, so they have at least had lots of food and water. However, I have not sprayed since June 22, though I had sprayed (for fungus and a systemic for chewing and sucking insects) every ten days from April 15 through June 22. They did not defoliate, but do show signs of blackspot now. (No canker, though, thank goodness.) While I still have some gorgeous blooms, things are winding down and I expect the roses to go dormant some time in December-January. There are lots of fallen oak, maple, sycamore, and dogwood leaves all over everything at the moment, and the roses, mostly hybrid teas, floribundas and austins, are gangly and a mess. I want to start to clean in the spring. I plan to begin removing both the fall leaves and the fallen rose leaves his month. Due to the presence of blackspot I will discard both and not shred them for mulch this year. My question: Should I winter prune, since I have not so much as deadheaded any of them since July 1? "Putting them to bed" in the winter full of blackspot has in the past meant a devastating crop of canker in the spring. How can I make sure they are dormant? Some of them are fairly young and we do have snap hard freezes, so I do not want to prune while they are not dormant and risk getting the "sap" up in them and having them die in a freeze. How cold does it have to be and for how long before I can be sure they are dormant? How far can I cut safely cut them back? I am talking about the fl, ht, and shrub roses. My out-of-control climbers are another story. TIA for any advice from those who live in similar climates--or at least have winter weather. |
#3
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Tim Tompkins wrote: The rule of thumb for full dormancy is at least 96 hours below 22F. I think that it must depend on the variety because dormancy varies widely here in zone4a. By some miracle, we have not had anything near 96 hours of below 22F, some roses are dormant and some are as green as they were in June. The more hardy roses go dormant first. All the Rugosas are completly bare of leaves. The Canada Mordens and Explorers are almost bare and some of the Bucks are turning yellow and dropping some leaves. Most of the modern HTs and Floribundas are still green as they can be. I hate to put on the winter cover on the modern roses before they are dormant, but I don't have a choice. It was a record 70F last week and the forcast is for zero or worse soon. Normal is 40F high and high teens and early 20's for lows. Regards, Charles -- Charles Perry Reply to: ** A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand ** |
#4
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Shiva wrote: Meanwhile ... Mutabilis is still blooming! Great rose, it really is. It might be too tender for your zone though, Charles. Yes, we have no Mutabilis-anywhere near here. I read of some in Canada experimenting with high tech winter protection, such as sheds built of foam slabs and tents of insulating fabric that gives them a chance with the tender roses. However, I am not that much of a fanatic despite what my wife thinks. Good luck with the voles. They are terible creatures when they attack roses. Regards, Charles -- Charles Perry Reply to: ** A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand ** |
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