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Late pruning is better than no pruning

Foliage may be hiding dieback -- and fungal spores

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED FEB 7, 2022

This Pink Promise rose needs pruning. (Photo: Debbie Arrington)

Some roses just don’t know when to give up. They keep blooming and blooming – and never go dormant.

In Sacramento, our unseasonably warm weather is prompting roses to break bud (sprout new growth) several weeks early and start blooming all over again – before they ever were pruned.

What’s a procrastinating gardener to do? Prune anyway.

Traditionally, Sacramento’s pruning season lasts until at least Valentine’s Day. But with so much warmth, the pruning window is closing rapidly (but not totally shut).

With this February feeling more like April, bushes are ready to go into high gear. Many appear to have jumped straight into full bloom.

The problem? New growth comes on top of old growth. The bushes will keep getting taller and taller – until summer roses will be way out of reach. What fun is smelling your roses if you need a ladder to sniff the blooms?

In addition to height, roses tend to sprout crossing canes in the interior of the bush. That growth becomes a thicket of prickly stems. That cuts down on air flow in the center of the bush, which can lead to fungal infections. That thicket is also prone to dieback, which can threaten the health of the bush.

Rose bush dieback most often can be traced to inconsistent irrigation, a common byproduct of drought. Roses, which are relatively drought tolerant once established, can suffer from lack of water – especially during or right after high-growth periods such as now. Roses – particularly those growing in full run or in containers – also can be susceptible to dieback during intense summer heat. Again, that’s linked to inconsistent water as well as temperature.

A bush may look full and healthy, but its foliage may be hiding problems underneath. An example is this Pink Promise hybrid tea. As of Feb. 6, it was nearly 10 feet tall and sporting more than a dozen blooms. The dark green leaves looked healthy and nearly covered the entire bush. It was very tempting to just let it grow.

But once removed, the foliage revealed a tangle of dead stems in the bush’s interior. Removing that dead wood will assure healthier new growth this spring.

When late pruning, concentrate on removing that dead wood and improving air flow. Height-wise, prune “taller.” Bring hybrid tea and grandiflora bushes down to four feet tall (instead of three feet or less); floribundas to three feet (instead of two). Shrub roses, which tend to sprawl out instead of up, may need only a little light shaping.

As for last season’s remaining leaves, strip them off this week if you can. That foliage likely is full of fungal spores (particularly powdery mildew and rust). These 70-degree days will reactivate those fungal diseases and they’ll quickly infect the new growth now emerging.

Also, rake out any old leaves under the bush and apply fresh mulch. That will help cut down on fungal disease as well as maintain consistent moisture during dry months to come – cutting down on dieback.

Once fresh growth appears, feed roses with a balanced fertilizer, then feed every six to eight weeks through spring and summer. This TLC will reward you with months of blooms.

For more on roses and rose diseases, check out these pest notes from the UC Integrated Pest Management Program: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7463.html .

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late winter winter chores gardening Sacramento pruning disease prevention fungus roses flowers

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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