Can I Prune a Knock Out Rose In The Fall?

Yesterday, I stopped by my neighbor’s house. As soon as she saw me she said “I know I’m not supposed to prune this Knock Out Rose in the fall, but it looks so bushy that I just have to neaten it up for the winter”. When I got home, I opened my GardenScribe to see what I had written about pruning. Sure enough, my notes said to prune in late winter or early spring. But admittedly, I also had been thinking about pruning my two Knock Outs so they wouldn’t be damaged by snow during the winter.

I decided to see what the experts have to say about fall pruning, and this is what I found. The vast majority of advice agrees that you should prune your Knock Out in late winter when the plant is still dormant. You can remove dead or diseased branches anytime. Additional pruning in late spring and early summer to encourage blooms is fine too.

But, I still wondered if I would do my Knock Out's harm with a fall pruning.

The answer is that it’s ok to remove tall large canes that may snap during a winter storm. But keep pruning to a minimum since pruned canes may dieback during the winter.

It’s Time to Combat Lawn Grubs

September is a great time to take care of lawn maintenance. If your lawn has been showing signs of severe grub damage, now is the time to take action.

Beetles lay their eggs in late June and early July. Those eggs hatch about 2 weeks later into grubs which feed on the roots of your grass throughout August. It's now, in September, that the grubs are closest to the top of the soil, which is why this is the best time to eliminate them.

Look for products like "Bayer Advanced 24 Hour Grub Killer Plus" in your local garden center and follow the manufacturer instructions.

To learn more about the life cycle of grubs, check out this Cornell University article at  http://nysipm.cornell.edu/PUBLICATIONS/grubs/life.asp