Bush roses that are unhappy sometimes develop into "one-cane wonders," but these usually have sparse tops that aren't very productive.

In my experience, feeding a rose alfalfa, either as a tea or as a meal, and especially in the Spring, is one of the very best ways to induce new basal canes.

So far it's not climbing anything-- just branching out and branching out on top.

I planted this rose last summer and fertilized it then, but not since.

The main cane is about 1 1/2 inches wide. And, yes-- since I'm new to rose growing, I haven't seen many large canes. This one seemed very large to me :) Remember-- I'm learning :)

So I shouldn't cut all the way down to the main cane? And try alfalfa to see if it will sprout from the base on its own?

If you do a google search with "how to induce basal breaks", you will get a lot of useful suggestions. I think one good one is that described by John Mattia in the enclosed link. He suggests carefully uncovering the bud union and exposing it to the sun.

Altho' I live in California, I might as well be living in a different state when it comes to climate factors as I live in the mountains of northern California and have to work with a shorther growing season along with other variables.

esyke623 .... from your photo, your rose is a budded modern rose. This is totally the wrong time of year, in my experience, to try to rejuvenate a modern rose. You really don't have enough time this season for the plant to grow new, productive wood and harden off before the winter season sets in and the new wood becomes vulnerable to the woes of winter and the plant naturally slows down and does not put on new growth due to colder temperatures and a different quality of light.

Most modern roses never truly go dormant because along with the genes necessary for recurrant bloom included in their breeding, the have the genes to always be evergreen.

Unlike the roses that truly go dormant ... lose their leaves and pull their nutrients down to be stored their roots, the evergreen roses may lose their leaves, but they store the nutrients to get through winter and for the first spring flush in their canes.

If you cut the canes off, you have just created a food shortage for your rose. The time to prune and rejuvenate modern roses is in spring. You have a greater chance of success because you are working with the natural cycle of the plant.

For now, just help the plant to be as healthy as you can going into winter.

Smiles,
Lyn

Thank you so much for the link. I did find it helpful. So there will probably be a little knob under the soil? That's what it seemed, from the link. I should uncover that, keep it watered, and it will grow shoots? I think that's worth a try! Thank you!

Emilie

As others have said, it is probably too late for radical pruning in zone 6. If you force new canes from the base, they might not harden enough to survive winter undamaged. You could take a foot or two off the top now, or add a stake to support the top-heavy growth. In early spring, roses in zone 7 are usually cut back to around 18", or shorter if there is winter damage.

With good care, your rose will fill out next year. With a hybrid tea that has a lanky growth habit, you can take a foot or so of stem when removing spent blooms, aiming to maintain a blooming height of 4-6' during mid and late season.

The flower resembles 'Parole' aka 'Buxom Beauty,' but that variety has only been available for a few years.

I am going to try rooting those cuttings in perlite with rooting powder. I have just started trying this . . . but my cuttings, even though some of them get roots, always seem to die before I can transplant them :( Not sure what I'm doing wrong. But since I have all these extra cuttings, it's worth a try! :)