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Tomatoes 2008
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by Al Troyer Where has the winter gone? I had all these ideas to map out a plan of actions for this spring, but with all the warm weather over the past 3 months, the only thing I accomplished was to water, water and water. Now, in mid-February, we finally had our first moisture of the season. If you have not been watering that needs to be your first priority. By now your roses have probably all broken dormancy and have new leaves everywhere. Professional wisdom says you can start pruning your roses the latter part of March but with warmer winters we have been having the last few years, I feel it is OK to start a little early. Part of the reason is that if you wait too long, it is very difficult to tell what you are doing when pruning off heavy top growth. If you start pruning early, it is recommended that you don't prune as severely as you would have had you waited until after our average last freeze, i.e. April 18. Pruning stimulates growth in the top buds you have left on the canes and a severe freeze will badly damage this new growth. You want to leave enough old cane growth with dormant buds in it that you can re-prune if this damage occurs. ... The next thing you should have already done is to apply dormant spray on your roses. It may be too late to apply lime-sulfur spray, because this can damage new growth, but it is perfectly acceptable to spray with summer oil after you have finished pruning. This will suffocate any residual over wintering insects. (If you have tiny parasitic wasps in your garden do not use an oil spray. ED.) While you are at it, go back into the garage and get that rake that has been languishing against the wall and get rid of all the debris around your rose beds. It is at this time that we need to remind ourselves why we are told to prune off that lovely new growth that has started to appear on our roses. Remember "ANNUAL PRUNING IS NECESSARY TO KEEP PLANTS YOUNG," With little or no pruning, a plant will grow tall and leggy with small inferior blooms on weak stems. These inferior blooms will be produced mainly at the top of the bushes on very thin stems and they usually droop excessively. As the plant gets older and older, the canes produce bark that becomes thicker and thicker and the dormant buds below are not vigorous enough to break through to produce new canes. Robust pruning of old canes will stimulate a well-cared-for rose bush to send out new canes from the bud union. However, robust pruning of an old bush, which has had no care for may years, can shock the plant so badly that it cannot recover. If you have a bush like this, it is recommended that you take 3 years to revitalize it. A general rule of thumb is to remove 1/3 of the top growth and take out the oldest canes right down to the bud union. This should stimulate a new cane to appear out of the bud union. The new cane is called a basal break. These new breaks are very tender and should be tied up for support while they are young. If a new cane appears below the bud union, that cane is called a sucker and is part of the root stock. These suckers must be removed. However, ensure that they are, in fact suckers, and not highly desirable basal breaks. Until you are absolutely sure that a sucker is really a sucker, 'do not remove it.' As a sucker begins to mature, its identity will become obvious. The leaves will appear much different, many times having 7 leaflets instead of 5. It may may also bloom a different color, if left long enough. If your bushes are Hybrid Teas or Miniatures and they have been given reasonable care, what is usually required is to remove 1/3 to 1/2 of the top growth. Remove all diseased wood. Open up the center of the plant, leaving an urn-shaped structure of strong, young canes. Remember, the more severely you prune, the fewer and larger the blooms will be. If your objective is to show your roses, then prune more severely. If your objective is to rejuvenate your bushes, then 1/3 cane reduction is satisfactory. If your roses are new (i.e. planted last year) then just cut off the twiggy growth and set serious with pruning next year. One last caution. It is always important to know the type of rose you are pruning, because some old garden roses, shrubs and climbers bloom on previous year's growth and they bloom only once in the spring. If the previous pruning advice is followed on these types of roses the bud-producing wood will be removed and there will be no blooms for the season. reprinted from the Albuquerque Rose Society "The Blue Ribbon" March 2003 by permission. 02/01/2009 |