Last fall I pruned my knock-out roses to about 3 inches above the
graft. I noticed brown core in the center of one of the thickest canes.
I cut it back further to see if it cleared and it did. Is this normal?
What is it?

<higgledy [at] gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1140635829.279178.198550 [at] g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Last fall I pruned my knock-out roses to about 3 inches above the
> graft. I noticed brown core in the center of one of the thickest canes.
> I cut it back further to see if it cleared and it did. Is this normal?
> What is it?

Dieback. Rose canes look like that when they
become weak and/or die. Best to prune back to
white/cream center (called "pith") where you know
it is healthy, which is apparently what you did.

I don't have a Knockout rose but 3" seems to
me to be rather severe pruning for anything
other than a mini.

I googled pruning Knockout and found one
site that recommended no pruning for the
first two years, then remove one third of
the oldest canes each year.
http://www.bloomindesigns.com/c=lKJYXNM8xv5cJoNY8nnNzdvDU/ca tegory/plantinginstructions.pruningroses/

If the whole link won't work, try going to
www.bloomindesigns.com and then searching
on Knockout rose.

That recommendation suggests to me that
you don't need to do a severe pruning of
all the canes, as you did. But Knockout sounds
like a really hardy rose and yours will probably
do ok.

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8

Thank you Gail. I did not know all this info about roses existed. One
big reason I prune so severely is we live on a windy ridge. The first
year it go so windy that at the base of each cane there was about an
inch of air before the dirt began, I think this would cause forst and
ice to get into the roots.

Maybe I'll cut less and then stake a burlap "house" around them each
fall?

<higgledy [at] gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1140656106.093386.296530 [at] g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Thank you Gail. I did not know all this info about roses existed. One
> big reason I prune so severely is we live on a windy ridge. The first
> year it go so windy that at the base of each cane there was about an
> inch of air before the dirt began, I think this would cause forst and
> ice to get into the roots.

Roses are pretty sturdy once established. I guess
it depends on how long your roses have been
in the ground and what kind of soil you have.

That said, I'm not sure what you mean by "an
inch of air before the dirt began". If you mean
that the rootstock below the bud union was
exposed about an inch down, you can pile up
some dirt to the base of the bud union (graft).

> Maybe I'll cut less and then stake a burlap "house" around them each
> fall?

That might work. You could check out the
American Rose Society www.ars.org They
have articles on winterizing roses. The
articles are in a public area so you don't have
to be a member to access them. I live in an
area that seldom gets winter so I have very
little experience with winterizing.

I like to recommend the Ortho and Sunset books
on gardening. They're relatively cheap (about $15,
I think), are well written and well illustrated. Good
basic advice.

Welcome to the addictive world of roses!

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8

No, I mean that the wind was whipping the canes so severely the soil
around the cane was recedeing, exposing the the cane portion below the
surface to the elements. This is exactly the same way people's gum
recede in their mouths due to grinding teeth while sleeping.

<higgledy [at] gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1140670939.669103.131950 [at] i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> No, I mean that the wind was whipping the canes so severely the soil
> around the cane was recedeing, exposing the the cane portion below the
> surface to the elements. This is exactly the same way people's gum
> recede in their mouths due to grinding teeth while sleeping.

Whoa, that is some wind! Perhaps adding some
kind of barrier is a good idea, as you mentioned.

Gail

Wow! I am new to roses, but I think mulch can only help this situation --
even if it does not cover the base of the canes, maybe it would help keep
moisture in when you water.

Are you sure it is wind that is "de-soiling" your roses? Could soil be
washing away when it rains?

It might be helpful if you tell us where you are: what country, what
gardening "zone."

Anne

<higgledy [at] gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1140670939.669103.131950 [at] i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> No, I mean that the wind was whipping the canes so severely the soil
> around the cane was recedeing, exposing the the cane portion below the
> surface to the elements. This is exactly the same way people's gum
> recede in their mouths due to grinding teeth while sleeping.
>

I am in Maryland. I am positive that the wind is the guilty party. I am
glad that I posted because I did not know I was not really supposed to
cut roses to the knot each fall.

<higgledy [at] gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1141091843.629605.67710 [at] e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com...
>I am in Maryland. I am positive that the wind is the guilty party. I am
> glad that I posted because I did not know I was not really supposed to
> cut roses to the knot each fall.

When we moved into our present house about
12 years ago, there were some rose bushes
against a chain link fence. My husband pruned
them according to some information he found
about pruning Hybrid Teas. Unfortunately
they are climbers. :) Needless to say, they
never quite recovered *as* climbers, but they
still have nice blooms (Cl. America).

I made some really dumb mistakes early in my
rose gardening experience, and lost a bunch of
roses. Live and learn!

If you didn't actually prune the entire top part of
the shrub (called the "scion"), your roses will
probably recover. Watch for canes that grow out
from *below* the bud union (what you call the
knot). Those canes are from the rootstock and
are not desirable. Cut them all the way back to
the root if they do grow, otherwise they will take
over your bush. You might not get canes from
below the knot, so don't worry if you don't.

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8

I have a climber too, "Forth of July" but I did not cut this nearly so
low, left about 3" above the knot. I planted it last summer but had a
lot of troubles with rabbits eating the leaves, so I put 3 foot high
chicken wire around them. The roses took a lot to recover from the
rabbits and whatever did bloom was hidden by the fence. Bummer. I like
the roses they look nice all summer. I just need to learn and read
more.

<higgledy [at] gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1141096919.017497.106630 [at] v46g2000cwv.googlegroups.com...
>I have a climber too, "Forth of July" but I did not cut this nearly so
> low, left about 3" above the knot. I planted it last summer but had a
> lot of troubles with rabbits eating the leaves, so I put 3 foot high
> chicken wire around them. The roses took a lot to recover from the
> rabbits and whatever did bloom was hidden by the fence. Bummer. I like
> the roses they look nice all summer. I just need to learn and read
> more.

I've had rabbits go after some roses and ignore
others. I'm on my third copy of a Bourbon (old
garden rose) called Souvenir de la Malmaison.
The first two copies were eaten by rabbits, which
left the other roses in the same bed alone. Finally
I did as you did, put a chicken wire fence around
it and left it for two years. Now it's doing fine,
even without the rabbit barrier.

If your Fourth of July climber recovers from
the severe pruning it should be ok (rabbit proof)
once it gets bigger.

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8

Gail,
Thanks for the advice. Do you have any plans for a trelice to tie my
Forth of July too?

<higgledy [at] gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1141235293.667760.155220 [at] i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> Gail,
> Thanks for the advice. Do you have any plans for a trelice to tie my
> Forth of July too?

Someone who used to post here regularly
recommended trellises made of re-bar.
If you google re-bar or rebar rose trellis
you'll find a whole bunch of information on
trellises made out of different kinds of metal.

I have a handy husband who builds arbors
and other supports out of wood for my
roses. :)

Gail