After Pruning

This year with my pruning I decided that I wouldn't cut them back so much as done in previous times.
I was wondering if I have not cut them back enough, I decided to cut them down by 50%, would like some views on this please. A few photos to give an idea of my pruning.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

welcome back , paul....that first photo seems to have a lot of thin spindley canes...these will only give you thin spindly canes and won't hold up a rose.......rule of thumb(in most cases) is that the cane should be as thick as a pencil

neptune wrote:welcome back , paul....that first photo seems to have a lot of thin spindley canes...these will only give you thin spindly canes and won't hold up a rose.......rule of thumb(in most cases) is that the cane should be as thick as a pencil

Thanks John for your kind welcome, the 1st photos roses are only about 12 months since I bought them. I was under the impression that it wasn't a good thing to prune plants that are young. Having said that, others that are a lot older I have seemed to have left a lot of spindley canes on them. Hmmm, I have also left canes that come out from the side of the canes, is this the wrong way to prune, should they be cut back so there's only 2 or 3 main canes???  

Paul, each bush is different and you prune accordingly......

I agree with John there appears to be a lot of spindly growth still left on the the bushes and if I pruned the roses I would have removed this however I am purely an exhibitor and we prune a lot harder. From my experience hard pruning gives bigger blooms but less of them and exhibitors always strive for bigger blooms. I am not suggesting you attack your roses with the secateurs but rather if you feel happy with what you have done leave it and see what happens. Getting the optimum results from your pruning is based on experimentation and experience after following a few basic principles.

Paul, how long will it take you to get to Mudgee, I have not even taken my secateurs outside yet, let alone started to prune.
Paul, as mentioned by John and Doug, I think the spindly growth needs to go, with the new growth coming onto it the stem will bend/break, so you lose twice. As we have seen your garden progress over time I think your roses will always reach tall, chasing the sun aspect, so you will get this leggy growth so by all means leave more wood, but as John said "pencil thickness" is the rule of thumb, hope this helps.

This year was going to be my prune year. Any rose that has been shown to able to handle a reasonable prune was going to get done.

Well I think this may be next year. Lee is over in England and Ireland with the local garden club looking at gardens and I (who hates being in a bus for 5 minutes let alone for 5 weeks for 10 hours a day skipped the trip) am in the middle of "renovating" a section of the garden. About 400 square metres of garden that was as steep as 1 in 5 is now flat. A bobcat came in and moved about 150 cubic metres of dirt and I have been building walls and steps and putting in water pipes and drainage. The roses that were growing in this area have been pruned and moved somewhere else or are sitting in pots.

As for the rest, well they say in Queensland you should hard prune in February (actually this does work and you get a magnificent Autumn display) but it is usually too hot then but I'll work something out otherwise there is always next year.

Just a question guys.If you have a rose thats not that old and only has that spindly stems and growth nothing real thick as yet as a pencil what is the best way to prune it if any or encourage more healthy and strong growth.Cheers

dannyboy wrote:Just a question guys.If you have a rose thats not that old and only has that spindly stems and growth  nothing real thick as yet as a pencil what is the best way to prune it if any or encourage more healthy and strong growth.Cheers

danny, when you say , "not that old"...can you give a time span please....

Neptune 1 to 2 years old I would say.

Danny is it in the ground or pot ?, Whats is name ?, My first thought is the root system is not working right.

All in the ground roseman.One is big purple،pristine،marlym monroe.They did get burned last summer to from the heat.

Update, took on board the general advice and removed all the spindly canes and cut all the bushes down a bit more. I must say they seem to have a good look about them now.

atta , boy!

If you feel your roses haven't grown as well as they might have over the past twelve months I would look at watering and pH. If these two aspects are within the bounds of that which is recommended I'd look at the fertilizing of the bushes.

A a section of one of my beds that have been pruned.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

roseman wrote:Paul, how long will it take you to get to Mudgee, I have not even taken my secateurs outside yet, let alone started to prune.
Paul, as mentioned by John and Doug, I think the spindly growth needs to go, with the new growth coming onto it the stem will bend/break, so you lose twice. As we have seen your garden progress over time I think your roses will always reach tall, chasing the sun aspect, so you will get this leggy growth so by all means leave more wood, but as John said "pencil thickness" is the rule of thumb, hope this helps.

Yes Dave I agree about them chasing the sun, a bit leggy, hmmm, ordanaraly I wouldn't mind something a bit leggy in my backyard. lol

Paul, I guess you will end up in   if your wife reads this like I did.

When I read a "bit leggy" Betty Grable came to mind.

roseman wrote:Paul, I guess you will end up in   if your wife reads this like I did.

All ways in the doghouse David, just don't fight against anymore lol