fall or not?
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 9:01 am
by nakanj
How exactly to you decide when it is far enough into fall to stop watering your roses or to trim them? I have several that need trimming but while it's almost Sept. it's still in the 90's here.
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 11:40 am
by cynthia_h
Water them! However you've been watering them during the hot summer, it isn't officially fall until the Autumnal Equinox, September 21st, give or take a day.
The "trimming" rule is to prevent roses from putting out young, tender growth just in time to have it killed by early frosts. When is the first hard frost expected in your area? Work with that date.
Are you talking about pruning the roses, cutting back live canes? That may be work for the spring in your area; check with a local rose grower. Or are you thinking about dead-heading, cutting out dead twigs and branches? That can be done any time.
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 10:22 am
by nakanj
I need to cut out crossed branches and dead ones. Also cut back some as they are getting quite tall. BTW, I forgot to mention these are knockouts.