Well, IF you are going to dormant-spray, you might just consider doing so when the foliage is still there. (In most of CA, it's not going to drop on its own.)

The spray will damage the leaves badly enough that they will fall off.

Me, I pray for a few cold Santa Ana windstorms. When those have passed, most old foliage is not only gone from the plants, it's just magically GONE.

Jeri

I think it's questionable whether dormant spray does any actual good or whether it's just a ritual. I have never done it. If you are using it to kill the foliage, use the max labelled concentration of lime sulfur rather than oil. This material is stinky and corrosive to the skin.

Young rose plants should be pruned lightly if at all. Energy for growth comes from the extant stems and leaves as well as what is stored in the roots.

Jeri and Michael, thanks.

I just looked at a number of sites that show how to prune roses in California. They are actually all different.

So can someone tell me how and when to prune in northern California?

andrea

It depends on what type of rose it is, and your personal preferences. Hybrid teas really do need pruning - I'm sure some of the sites you have found give the standard instructions for that.

Many OGRs HATE to be pruned, and some will even die if hard pruned. When I prune my OGRs in Jan (I live in Marin county), I remove any dead wood, and then mostly just spend some effort tying up or supporting the long branches (mine are mostly old tea roses, chinas, & vrs large climbers) so that the roses can get big and beautiful. I only prune them if they are trying to eat the paths or the driveway.

Jackie

Jackie,

I am a little warmer and dryer than Marin. But I am asking about pruning for my HTs that are now in their second season. I didn't prune last year and this year I will prune lightly. I also have some new Austins, but I won't be pruning them.

I have seen sites and articles that say you must strip the leaves and then spray. Must I remove leaves or spray with anything. Michael says he never has but he is on the east coast.

Thanks for your input,

andrea

No - it turns out that any instructions that start with the phrase "you must..." are completely bogus - no one I know removes leaves, or dormant sprays here. If you had some sort of infestation like scale, then I might dormant spray, but not otherwise. There are endless "rules" about how you must do certain things, and all of them (except providing adequate water, sun, and food) have been debunked in the last 10 years.

I would just prune your HTs lightly, as you said, as they are babies. I feed my roses in Jan when I prune them with a time release fertilizer, because I am lazy. Others concoct all sorts of home made and/or expensive recipes - up to you. The only other thing I do which I do think is important is to mulch around the roses (making sure the mulch does not touch the base of the rose) 2-3 inches in the Spring, so that they can survive our hot & dry Summers.

Relax - see what works - no one is grading your paper!

Jackie

Perfect!!!

I use a good compost as a top dressing. It works great and looks fine. I do this twice a year. I probably don't have as many roses as you do (21) so I have time to feed them every month or so. I use Dr. Earth Rose Fertilizer.

Thank you so much for your clear and concise answer.

andrea