Re-pruning?

[babymama]

It is time to prune my standard iceburg roses. I made a start and did some of them, but I saw a show that showed I should have been a lot harder. What I have done is more like a heavy dead-heading, than a good prune.

That was about 3 weeks ago. So my question is - do I re-do them? Or do I leave them as is this year and give them a good going over next year?

Love to hear your advice!

[luis_pr]

Hello, babymama. If this is a recently planted climber rose, I would not prune it much for the first 2-3 years. Instead, I would work on help it train on the fence or object that it is climbing. This lets the rose develop thick and strong canes needed to support the weight of the bush. But note that I said I would not prune it much. So I would remove dried out canes, canes that cross, canes that grow in a direction I do not want the plant to grow, etc. After 2-3 years, I select the main canes that will support the future growth, prune out the rest and attach the canes to the structure. After that, I do regular maintenance pruning. This link covers the subject in better detail: https://www.rose.org/faq-maintenance/

Go there and click on "How should I prune my climbing rose?"

[babymama]

Thanks I will look at the link.

But my roses are "standards" so they are freestanding with the bush on the top in a ball, rather than a climbing rose. They have started to already push some new growth out too.. I saw on the TV show that when you cut the rose - the "wound" causes the hormones to rush to the site and that is what causes all the new growth. That is why I am not sure whether to re prune them.

I havn't feed or sprayed them yet either. Since it is winter her in New Zealand I waiting for the next fine day

cheers

[luis_pr]

Standard roses come in two "forms".... that of 'regular' roses (Hybrid Teas, for example) or that of 'climbing' roses that falls downward rather than climbs upward. Either of those two forms needs to be pruned as usual, ie, as if it was not a standard. The Hybrid Tea form would be pruned like you prune any other Hybrid Tea Rose and ditto for the climbing form. You may want to prune them a little more often though, so the head does not get too big or becomes unstable. If you see too many leaves in the middle after pruning, prune some of those small branches to outward facing buds as this will prevent fungal diseases and improve air flow.