HEAVY PRUNING

Articles In This Section:

· WHY ROSES FAIL

· AIR POCKETS

· DEEP PLANTING

· MANURING AT PLANTING TIME

· DRY ROOTS

· EXCESSIVE ACIDITY OR ALKALINITY

· INADEQUATE DRAINAGE

· ROSE-SICK SOIL

· EXCESSIVE MANURING

· FROSTS

· SHADE

· PROXIMITY OF LARGE PLANTS

· HEAVY PRUNING

· ARTESIAN WATER

Unduly heavy pruning may arise from necessity or from ignorance of the best pruning methods for a temperate climate such as that of Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Any necessity will be due to the roses having been planted too close to paths or driveways or to their having grown into unexpectedly big plants. In Australia no rose should be pruned hard as in the cold climates of England, Canada, and the northern portion of the United States of America. In any case, most modern roses do best if cut lightly (see Chapter XIII). If pruning is done only to the extent of removing old or weak growths and young branches that are too crowded, better results will be obtained than by cutting back to old wood which lacks virility.