How (and in what season) do I prune an overgrown rose bush?

Our rose bush is as big as a small car, and isn't putting many roses on. It hasn't been maintained in many years.

How (and in what season) do I prune an overgrown rose bush?
Although the above answers are correct, they really don't answer your question.





Your rose bush needs a deep pruning and will feel oh so much better after you do it so do it this weekend. Do it in this order:





1. Cut out all dead branches.


2. Cut out all branches which cross another branch. (Which one to cut? continue reading)


3. Open up the bush so that there is adequate circulation going through the middle of the plant. Think of the bush as a vase. The inside is open. Thus, branches which grow towards the middle should be removed.


4. You need to determine what kind of rose it is -- Tea, floribunda or climbing. If a Tea or Floribunda, cut it down to about 2-3 feet, leaving 3-4 main branches. If it's a climber, leave 3-4 long branches.





It may take until next year for your rose to recover but it will. Give it LOTS of water and fertilize it after you prune it, then again in two months.





Roses are like pets. They really respond to attention.
Reply:The first year I would not overdo it. Cut about 2/3rds off. On each cut, cut right above a leaf that is pointed away from the center of the plant. Whichever direction the leaf is pointing is the direction the new branch will grow. Cut out all of the dead wood. You should prune either very late in the year, or very early. It helps to have leaves on it so you can see where to make the above cuts. The next year it should be okay to cut it even shorter if you want.
Reply:As mentioned by jamlinrich, most of pruning is done during spring. But you can also prune extensively during rainy season. The idea is to keep one or two main barks and cut the rest of bush. Now you can prune these remaining barks using Pruning knife or small saw.





Also, you can keep pruning the small branches which has already given you roses every now and then. Depending on type of Rose - you can propagate the pruned barks into new plants.





To have better smelling roses for bouquet - cut them out before sunrise. I have many roses as higher as 7 feet with many flowers at a single time.





Also, you need to put organic fertilizer every 1.5-2 months for better results. You can also use home made compost, vermicompost plus small amounts of powdered limestone, potassium to rejuvinate the soil. Contact local florist/nursery for more solutions.
Reply:When to Prune Roses


Timing is determined by the class of the rose plant and the zone in which it is growing. Most rose pruning is done in the spring, with the blooming of the forsythia as a signal to get moving. If you don't have forsythia, watch for when the leaf buds begin to swell on your rose plants, meaning the bumps on the canes get larger and reddish in color.


Hybrid tea roses are the most particular about pruning. If you don't know what type of rose you have, watch the plant for a season. If it blooms on the new growth it sends out that growing season, prune while dormant or just about to break dormancy, as stated above. If it blooms early, on last year's canes, don't prune until after flowering.

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