What Time of Year to Prune Roses?

Spring

• Prune your roses in the spring after the last frost, according to Alabama Cooperative Extension. Cut off any weak canes or any canes that are rubbing against each other. Remove any canes that are damaged, dead or diseased. You can tell if a cane is diseased by looking for discolored leaves, spotted leaves, disfigured growth or cankers (swellings) on the canes. Dig a hole next to the rose plant with a shovel to remove any suckers. Suckers are horizontally growing branches from the root system of the plant.

Summer

• Monitor your rose plant during the summer for signs of pests or fungal diseases. Pest damage can include holes in leaves, curled leaves or leaf discoloration. Prune off the damage and apply a pesticide to your rose plant. Avoid applying pesticide to a water-stressed plant. Fungal diseased canes should be removed by making 45-degree angled cuts back into the healthy portion of the cane. Clean your pruning tools with a mixture of 70 percent denatured alcohol and 30 percent water before, in between cuts and after pruning.

Fall

• Prune around Labor Day or the first week of September, according to Texas A&M University. Remove canes that have not been productive during the growing season. Take off canes that are growing outside of the designated growing location, growing inward or are spreading to the ground. Take off any canes that have succumb to diseases during the growing season. Any canes that are smaller than the diameter of a pencil should be removed from the rose plant.

Miniature Roses

• Miniature roses should be cut to the ground in the spring, according to Texas A&M University. Leave 2 to 3 inches of plant left. If you have an older miniature rose plant, cut the plant in half to divide the plant. Dividing miniature roses is a technique gardeners use for increasing their favorite miniature rose plants. Dig up the plant and cut through the middle. Make sure that each divided plant has a root division. Replant the original and new transplant.