Corona's Principles of Pruning How to Guide

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“There are many factors why plants are winter hardy. When artiﬁ cial means are used to bring a plant through

winter, ofter they can conﬂ ict with some beneﬁ cial factors. For die-back-hardy woody plants, the simplest winter

protection technique is applying a few inches of mulch year round. This allows the plant in the autumn to grow

into its fullest state of natural dormancy. It prevents the soil from getting as cold as would in open ground. And it

allows the plant to break dormancy slower in the spring. Cutting back the canes only in the spring provides shade

to the lower branches and helps attract snow cover that insulates and guards against low temperature injury and

ﬂ uctuating temperatures.” ~ Will Radler Creator of the Knock Out

Rose

1. Fall rains usually do the job,

but if the weather has been dry,

water deeply (to a depth of at least

18 inches) after the ﬁ rst frost but

before the ground freezes. Many

folks like me that grew up in the

North forget about watering

through the winter. However, in

Texas before a hard frost watering

protects your roses.

2. In early to mid fall, when the

nights are getting regularly frosty,

you can use soil to cover the base

of the plant, above the bud union.

3. I prune my roses in the spring

however you can cut the canes

back to 3 or 4 feet high and tie

them together with string to pre-

vent winter winds from whipping

them around and damaging the

canes. In the spring you will be

prune them off but in warmer

climates damaging parts of the

canes that are living is the perfect

entry point for disease and weakens

the plant. If you plan on mounding

with soil get new soil. I like Organic

Mechanics soil because it is im-

portant to know what kind of soil

and run off that you are putting in

your rose garden.

4. When the ground is thorough-

ly frozen, cover the mound with

a thick layer of mulch, such as

straw, leaves, or compost. This

yearI am going to just do as

Will Radler suggests.

FALL ROSE PRUNING | WINTERIZING YOUR ROSES