Rose Gardening Community

 

Well hello rose people!  Hey maybe someone will have a notion about this question: when I read about pruning all the sources say the inside of the cane should be greenish white if it is healthy.  I pruned my rose bush down to about 2 1/2 feet from as high as twice that height, only thing is the wood in the middle is a mocha color.  So, I'm wondering if I should just leave it alone as is being that the canes had buds on them all the way up, or if I should bite the bullet and do a hard prune down to 5 or 6 inches above the ground.  Appreciate any input!

Buds on the canes tell you that they are alive and not dead canes. Pruning down 1/2 size is sufficient for the bush. When most of the bush has new growth, you can see the dead canes have not leafed out, then cut them out.

 Yes, jojo is right. Pruning down to half size will cause new growth and the dead canes will eventually leaf out. At which time you can cut them out. Tom Falater