by  BRIAN MINTER
April 3, 2003

Roses are now bursting out in leaf, and since the danger of an early spring freeze is hopefully over, it’s time to get them ready for spring.

Pruning is one of the first chores to be looked after, and it is really not a complicated procedure. ‘Floribundas’, ‘hybrid teas’ and ‘grandifloras’ are all pruned in a similar manner, but you must first make a decision on the amount of colour you wish to have and the eventual height of your roses. As a rule of thumb: the harder you prune, the more compact the rose will be with fewer, but better, quality flowers throughout the summer. Every few years it is good to be a little ruthless and cut your roses back hard to force a new set of buds to develop from the bottom, but most folks simply want a good showing of colour. To achieve this happy medium, I would prune all my bush roses back to about 12 or 15 inches high. Select the thickest, healthiest stems and cut out everything else except three or five good stalks all radiating outward from the centre of the plant. In the case of ‘floribundas’, it is not always possible to find really thick stems, so simply thin out all the weaker ones and leave a framework of the best looking stems.

When you make the cuts on your roses, always use clean, sharp shears. Pruning blades can be cleaned in a solution of one part bleach and ten parts water, and steel blades can be cleaned in a similar solution of baking soda and water. The ideal cut is made just about 1/4 inch above an outward-facing bud (a swelling). The cut must be made on a 45 degree angle to shed water, and caution must be used to keep the cut approximately 1/4 inch above the bud for rapid healing. If you cut too low, you may destroy the bud, but if you leave more than an inch above the bud, chances are you will get some die-back which will provide a breeding area for both disease and insects. Branches you wish to remove completely should be cut flush with the main stems and as close as you can to the central union. Try to make the blade cut upward to avoid any tearing.

Crown borers have been a serious problem over the past few years. These are insects which burrow into the stems and lay eggs which hatch and chew the soft branch tissue causing stem die-back. They can be prevented by simply tarring over the cut ends of the stems with pruning paint. I would suggest applying this protective coating after pruning.

I am absolutely amazed to hear of aphid problems already on roses and would highly recommend the application of a systemic as soon as possible. A band painted around the stems now will prevent a myriad of problems later. If you wish to stay organic, use Safer's "Trounce" every ten days as a foliar spray. To keep mildew in check, alternate Funginex and garden sulphur every ten days. It works! If you choose to take the organic approach, there are organic fungicides now available, as well as good old-fashioned baking soda and water.

In spite of roses being slightly acid loving, they love well-rotted manures. Fibrous manures, such as mushroom compost, are dandy and should be applied at least four to six inches deep around your roses now. If you had covered the bud unions of your roses with bark, sawdust or soil, remove it now and work it into the soil along with the manures. I would like to see the weather warm up a bit more first, but a quality low nitrogen, high phosphorus and potash fertilizer is best and should be applied fairly soon, and again in eight to ten weeks.

It’s time to prune, mulch, spray, fertilize and plant roses now, so let's get these important tasks done over the weekend.