Looking Forward To Pruning Time.

I'm looking forward to pruning time . The roses are looking pretty manky now so I think this week-end might see me commencing the big snip.

In the case of the enormous D.A's on *The Bank*, it will be possibly be the big chop.
And NO, before anyone asks , I am not pulling them out. God Forbid
Rather , I have been thinking about chainsawing the tops off at a height of about 2' and then after all that debris has been removed , it should be much easier to reach in and tidy up the rest of the bush. They don't get pruned every year and I have fantastic flowering but they really do need a bit of a clean out and also I need to give the couch the Fusillade treatment again.
Sweet Juliet hasn't been pruned for at least 6 years and during the summer attained dimensions something like 3 X 3 X 3m . It now has a base with multiple trunks that resembles a well grown mallee. There are also a couple of buddleias that need doing soon too so they shoot away well before the spring. The budds are great favourites with the blue wrens , the silver fantails and the New Holland Honey Eaters and we usually have several couples nesting in them but they are getting woody with a lot of dead twig and progressively smaller flower heads and less of them , so they really do need the treatment now.
With shrubs like the budds and also the grevilleas etc , I stagger their pruning years so as to preserve nesting cover for all the small birds that I am pleased, now call my garden home.

Someone remind me to take some before and after pix . lol

When does every one else plan to start their pruning ?
I can see a new topic emerging if everyone is brave enough to post their before and after photo's.

cheers. Rosalie

For me , its the first week of July , Rosalie . Prune and spray with lime sulphur or Kocide blue , i alternate them year to year , don't know if it helps , cause they still get bs . Does anyone know , the new bareroot roses that i am planting , do you spray them with lime sulphur too ??

I would have thought it would be too early to prune because of the coldness and then you would be asking the bushes to start their spring growth early. This then promotes spindley growth instead of nice thick ones. My pruning is dictated by the spring rose show and if I wasn't entering it, I would prune at the end of July or half way thru August, which would give me a nice flush for Xmas.....

In the Sydney basin roses are pruned in the last week in July or the first week in August with the rule of thumb being after the frosts have finished for the season.

Mmmmnn , something to think about Neptune , i usually follow the Victorian Rose Society guidelines , but you could be right , what do other Melbournians think , prune July or August ? Thanks Neptune !!!

LOL John. Are you sure that my mum didn't train you ?

What we have found is that when the bushes go ni-nighs because of the cold , best time is to chop them , and let them do their own thing.
Cheers. Folks.

Ozrose, so does that mean , prune early July , mid July , late July or August ? Neptune , i think i started pruning early July because of the spraying with that smelly lime sulphur stuff, if i leave it too late the bushes have started to shoot and i've been told you can't spray lime sulphur if roses have started to shoot cause it will burn the buds . Doesn't seem to work anyway , supposed to be natural and a clean up though . Does anybody else use lime sulphur or Kocide blue ?

In Victoria I would think you prune once the frost is over...I use lime suphur once I prune and then again two weeks later.....I think in Qld, because of the heat, they prune around december. This can be clarified by our Qld members on here.....

Maree, a couple of things to add to your "ponder".
When is your last frost
Do the roses loose all there leaves
When is the cold est part of winter about
Soil temperature, do you know what it is.
Ok lets look at the 2 you mentioned, Kocide Blue is one of the copper family, there are many forms of it, if you alternate with it and LS, both are best used wqhen the plant is "nude", the ground around/under the bush needs doing as well, the ground especially as that is where the spores of the deseases live/reside. If you can get "cupric hydroxhide' it is the best copper IMO. Why I mentioin the soil temp was "most plants" do not start to grow again till the soil temp reaches around 14 deg C.

The conventional wisdom amongst the rose fraternity in NSW is the use of lime sulphur to kill fungal spores that may have survived over Winter is worthwhile. Spraying as you prune then having a follow up spray a fortnight later as John does seems to work best.It is the general belief the spraying of the beds as well as the pruned roses helps.

first week of july i will prune few of my roses

I'm in two minds ... on one hand I would "like" to prune them in August (frost) and then spray with lime suphur. Then again... We can have frosts in September so what the heck
And the fact is I don't usually have time in July/Aug to do the full on prune-spray routine.
I think I'm stuck with "prune as needed and forget sprays".... A
Anyone want to buy the unused packets of "stuff" I have?? LOL

wendy what ya selling ?? LOL

Thanks everyone , i guess its just trial and error , Roseman i think i have seen the cupric hydroxide somewhere , i'll have a look , thanks

Just another question guys , should you give the newly planted bareroot roses a bit of a winter spray as well as the soil around it ? thanks

I do as it all helps.

IMO. no.

Okay thanks !!!

we recommend east coast pruning late july, frosty/snowy areas later in august/september. ne border nsw should have pruned already so best flower emerges july/august/sept when conditions are drier and cooler. always treat the bare stems and soil with lime sulphur or similar and clean the area of rose debris which may harbour fungal spores

Finbarr , just so i am clear on this , you recommend late July , pruning for Melbourne . If the roses have little tiny leaves coming out of the buds when i prune is it safe to spray with lime sulphur ? This is one area which is so confusing ... Thanks ......

not a problem....

lime sulphur on the leaves won't trouble the plant in cool weather. late july for any areas not experiencing regular heavy frost.

Thanks neptune , thanks finbarr !!!!

After 14 years of having roses, I still don't get this portion of the program Nothing seems to be a clear winner for me in wiinter pruning. Only summer pruning works consistantly for me. This August, I'm following the Swane's video, frame by frame.

how do they do it betty?