how and when to prune roses?

Question

there is a program at the New Mexico University & I would like to see their cutting techniques.

Answer 1

When to Prune Roses
Timing is determined by the class of the rose plant and the zone in which it is growing. Most rose pruning is done in the spring, with the blooming of the forsythia as a signal to get moving. If you don't have forsythia, watch for when the leaf buds begin to swell on your rose plants, meaning the bumps on the canes get larger and reddish in color.
Hybrid tea roses are the most particular about pruning. If you don't know what type of rose you have, watch the plant for a season. If it blooms on the new growth it sends out that growing season, prune while dormant or just about to break dormancy, as stated above. If it blooms early, on last year's canes, don't prune until after flowering.

Answer 2

Here is an article from New Mexico State University on Roses which includes a segment with illustrations on rose pruning.
http://www.nmmastergardeners.org/Pdf%20FILES/roses.pdf

My own personal information on rose pruning:
There are two reasons for Pruning. General pruning for maintainance and upkeep of new growth and Autumn pruning for bushier growth. Here are instructions for both. Included are two websites that will be helpful as well.
General Pruning: You do this to remove any dead or dying canes or spent flowers.
It is true that you need to pick a set of five leaves, but not necessarily the first set. Pick a set of five that are pointing outward because that will be the direction of a new cane and flowers. If you choose one pointing inward then your canes can cross and will cause other problems. Cut the cane at an angle like this (/) about 1/4" above the five leaf set. It is okay to do this with each cane and especially if the cane is dying. It is also okay to do this throughout the growing season because it promotes new growth.

Autumn Pruning: Any time between the first freeze of Autumn and the last freeze of winter you can seriously prune your rose down to about 2 feet. This will create a fuller, lusher plant for the new season. Once again you will want to cut at an angle. However, instead of cutting above a five leaf set, this time you will want to cut right above a node which will resemble a small, reddish, slightly pointed bump on the cane. Like the five leaf set, make sure the node is pointing outward. Also, it is important to cover pruned canes that are larger than the size of a pencil with some white glue to protect the wound and promote quicker healing.

Additional information on pruning:
http://www.bayeradvanced.com/article/how-to-prune-hybrid-tea-roses.html?source=google
Video from Expert Village on how to prune a rose:
http://homegarden.expertvillage.com/videos/deadheading-roses.htm

Answer 3

They are pruned when they are dormant, here in CA I prune mine about February. How -- you can learn from books or take a class. I took a class one time given by the local city recreation department and learned how to do it.

Answer 4

Here is a link with pictures:

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/roses/prune.html