Knockout Roses Pruning

Roses are red, roses are blue; if you can’t grow them, we’re here for you. No, we won’t do it for you, for you can do this all by yourself without much trouble. The variant, knockout rose knocks out the other varieties right out of the park, or shall we say – garden. How, you ask? This is how, we say — knockout roses were brought into existence by William J Radler, a rosarian from Wisconsin who crossbred “Carefree Beauty” and “Razzle Dazzle”. The result was “Radrazz”, a variety of rose that was blessed with continuous blooming. And when these were introduced in the market in the year 2000, they became the fastest selling rose variety in the history of roses. Reason being, they are easier to plant and take care of and just require a fertile well-drained soil and regular watering. While planting roses, one amongst the many stages of rose plantation that is extremely crucial is pruning. Pruning is very important when it comes to rose care; a little misguidance and the roses can be dead. The last statement stands for most of the roses, exception granted only to the knockout variety for they don’t need to be pruned every year, unlike the other variety of roses. They only need to be pruned once in every three years and the best time to do so is in late winters or early spring. However, it is important to remember that the pruning should only be done when the roses are in the dormant stage; pruning them in the summers can slow their growth. Read further and know how to prune them in the right way.

How To Prune Knockout Roses

Get hold of the things you’ll need: a hand held pruning shear, a pair of thick gloves, a bucket, some water, and shear sterilizer or rubbing alcohol.
Pour five parts of water and one part shear sterilizer into the bucket. Mix it well. Place the pruning shear into the solution for a good ten to fifteen minutes. It is recommended that you do not miss this step, as it will prevent the spread of disease among the plants.
You are now ready to prune. Put on the pair of gardening gloves to prevent yourself from being poked by the thorns. Begin the process by looking out for any deadwood or diseased wood that may have formed on the stem. It will appear dark brown or grey in color.
Now start taking out the discolored areas one by one. It is important to completely take out the dead or diseased area to promote healthy growth of the plants. To be on the safer side, make a cut of 1 inch into the live or undead/undiseased area. If the whole cane appears to be dead, take it off completely from the base of the plant.
After this has been done, prune your roses 2 feet below the height you want them to reach. Pruning them at the height of 1 inch will make them reach to the height of 3 inches during their growing season. Making the cuts at an angle of 45 degrees will promote better future growth.
Look for any deformed or crisscrossed canes that may have grown. Cut them off at the base. Also, look for the canes that have been growing right from the base. It’s better to chop them off from the base as they don’t always produce good blooms. If one branch is rubbing against another, take one out.
Sterilize the pruning shear before moving on to the next rose bush.

Pruning Tips

Don’t go off pruning the rose bush in the first year of its growth after planting. Let it grow into proper shape and prune it from next year onwards. But unlike other roses, you’ll just have to prune it once in every three years.
Generally, late winters or spring time is considered the appropriate time to prune the knockout roses. It is important to prune them when they’re in the dormant stage. However, if you want to keep them in the same shape, it is advisable to prune them in summers as it slows their growth.
Don’t forget to sterilize the pruning shear before you touch the plant with it.

This will equip you with a proper know-how on how to prune knockout roses and will help you maintain the beautiful bloomers of knockout roses in the easiest way.

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