Pruning roses in autumn - what to look out for

Pruning roses in autumn: some rose experts advise against it. Others advocate it. More on what you can cut away without hesitation and what you should leave out if possible.

When the days are getting shorter and shorter in late autumn and the rose beds are being prepared for the winter, many hobby gardeners are faced with the question: "May I prune my roses in autumn?". Some rose experts are of the opinion that the rose scissors should be left alone in autumn. Others, on the other hand, answered the question in the affirmative, albeit with the advice to be cautious when pruning in the fall. "Pros and cons" are therefore in balance. In the next two sections, we want to explain to you what you can safely cut away when trimming in the fall and what you should leave as is. First of all: If you “snip” the rose too hard in autumn, you risk considerable damage in the coming year.

11 What can safely fall victim to the pruning shears?

Pruning roses in late autumn is intended to prevent possible pathogens of plant diseases from remaining in the rose bed over the winter. Because dead plant material is the breeding ground for fungus, rot and infection.

➢ Autumn pruning takes place in late autumn, when the first frosty nights set in. By this time the roses have largely stopped growing. The flower mummies are now removed from the shoots. You can cut back the shoot tips on which the flowers sit. With this you can clean the rose before winter.

➢ On the shrub and climbing roses, the particularly long side shoots can also be shortened a little. Otherwise they could break away under the snow load in winter and thus severely damage the plant.

1. What can safely fall victim to the pruning shears?

22 Be wise before harm!

Keep in mind that the main cut always takes place in spring. This means that you only create some order in your rose bed in the fall. A vigorous pruning can cause devastating damage to roses. So even a careless pruning can be the final oneMean "off" for the magnificent plant.

➢ On frost-free days the roses also bloom in winter. At the same time, the top shoots awaken, pushing in the tender rose shoots. As soon as the frost sets in again, they freeze to death. So if you cut back your rose too much in the fall, there will hardly be any sprouting eyes left in the spring.

➢ Open wounds caused by the fall pruning on the rose shoots can no longer heal properly. As a result, the frost penetrates unhindered into the core of the plant and a large part of the shoots that have already been shortened die off.

2. Be wise before the damage!