Pruning Knockout Roses

In fact I recommend skipping the first season pruning for shrub roses and floribundas in general.

Let them grow into the shape they were intended to have, and then after the second year it could really benefit from a little pruning or shape up.

Now of course, you should always remove dead, damaged wood or spindly growth, any time of the year.

Click Here To Look At One 100
Hot Gardening Products

People are always asking, when is it time to trim knockout rose bushes?

Well if you just want to give the rose a trim, the best time to do it, is right after the first bloom flush in early summer. Followed with some Miracle Grow rose food.

This is only a light trim now to cut off spent blooms and shape it a bit so it looks good.

This early summer rose trimming, speeds up another great flower flush, but only if you fertilize also.

If you want your roses to bloom even more, and look super good, deadheading is good idea.

The big pruning takes place once a year in late winter or early spring as stated below.

Below is the best Rose Pruners on the market. It's American Rose Societies, ARS, Rose Pruner.

This is the pruner I personally use. These pruners makes rose pruning so much easier.

To Purchase these grear Rose Pruners, just CLICK on the highlighted product link.

ARS Rose Pruner With Branch Grip - $ 59.99 The perfect rose pruner gives you 2' of extra reach. Cut-and-hold branch grip helps trim the pricking sprigs of roses safely and efficiently. Spring loaded gripper adjusts to the thickness of a stem. Lightweight aluminum arm and hard chrome plated blades resist rusting and corrosion. Comfortable hand grip helps prevent fatigue. Revolving arm allows you to turn the pruner blades in any direction without moving the hand grip. 2' length.

Rainbow Knockout Rose - A New Color Variety

These types of roses have varying pruning needs, however, for most Knockout roses, pruning out and removing a few of their oldest canes each year is very beneficial, if the rose plant is vigorous and is still producing lots of new growth from it's base.

Pruning Knockout Roses Pruning Tip

Start by giving the Knockout an overall trimming and grooming to give it a pleasing and attractive shape.

When doing Knockout rose bush pruning, it's good to cut down the plant by 1/3, to ensure optimum flower production.

After you cut the 'Knockout' down, remove all, but the best flower-producing canes, at the base using a pruning saw.

This method of pruning knockout roses will result in new canes that will grow lots of flower shoots.

The end result, is lots of rose flowers, which is what we all want.

you should then remove any canes growing inward, or crossing over another cane.

Your goal is to open up the center of the bush for better air-circulation.

I know this is more pruning than some others recommend for knockouts, but I have found that doing this every year at pruning time, results in a much better flower production that last longer for the season.

Only by experimenting with several pruning methods for the 'Knockout' roses, did I find the best method described above.

So if you want a better flower show ( and who doesn't), I recommend you follow this pruning practice.

When To Trim Knockout Roses

Return to Knock Out Roses Page

Go to Design Ideas With Knockout Roses

Go to Knockout Rose

Return to Pruning Roses

Go To Double Knockout Rose

Return from Pruning Knockout Roses to Rose Gardening Made Easy