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Wed, Oct 3, 12 at 22:32
| My Knockout roses have grown too large. What methods can be used to reduce their size?
Is above-ground pruning the preferred method, or is perhaps root pruning more effective and longer lasting? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| These are very large shrubs to start with. You're fighting their genetics, like trying to keep an oak tree from becoming a tree. Is there an area you can move them to where they can be as large as they're bred to be, and won't be in the way of other plants (if that's the problem)? Pruning is only a temporary solution, and you can't do it all the time, or you'll never see any flowers. |
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| KO can be maintained at a range of sizes according to pruning. Try cutting back to about 2' in spring and then cutting back each stem after flowering so it retains a few leaves. Cut back any strong basal shoots after flowering to slightly less than the average height of the plant. Don't fertilize heavily. |
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| Here, root pruning can leave the rose vulnerable to root gall disease, which can eventually kill the plant. I do not know if that disease is prevalent in your area, but it is something to consider. |
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