SolveYourProblem
Roses Article Series
5
Pruning Techniques for Roses
Early each spring, dedicated gardeners take
out their pruning shears, pull on their gardening gloves, and
prepare to prune their rose bushes for the coming bloom. If
you live in a milder climate, however, you don’t have to wait
until spring. You can prune in late fall, as soon as the plants
go dormant.
Almost every dedicated Rosarian has their own unique philosophy
and technique for pruning roses. Every rose is different, so
before you begin to prune, take the time to figure
out what kind of roses you have, if you don’t know already. Even so,
there are certain guidelines you can follow for almost any
type of rose plant. Remember that the objective of pruning
is relatively simple and straightforward. You want to remove
or reduce parts of the plant that are not necessary, and which
will increase air circulation, sun distribution, and improve
the overall health, beauty, and bloom of the plant. Here are
five proper pruning techniques that will work for nearly any
kind of rose:
Start
by cutting away dead wood and removing any broken canes,
or canes damaged by insects, weather, or disease. Using a good
pair of hand shears, cut away any dead wood and canes. Sometimes
it may be difficult to distinguish between live wood and dead
wood. Live wood is usually a healthy green hue, but winter
frost may turn it black so it resembles dead wood. To determine
if the wood is alive or dead, make a slight cut on one of the
stems. If it’s alive, the wood will be white. Cutting away
dead wood prevents against disease and allows the plant to
grow with more vigor. You should also remove any wood or canes
that are thin and spindly so that the plant can expend its
energy on healthy stems. As a general rule, you should also
cut out any branches that cross and are rubbing against one
another. This will also help prevent your rose plant against
disease, and give your plant a more appealing shape.
Make
all pruning cuts just above buds. Buds
are the small nobbles that grow along a stem. This is where
new shoots will
grow, so be careful not to remove the buds! When determining
where to cut, choose buds that are facing outwards. This encourages
new growth to develop outwards. If your rose bush grows outward,
it will receive better sun distribution and air circulation,
and have a more attractive shape. When you’ve located buds
that are facing away from the middle of the bush, use good
pruning shears to make a clean cut. Ragged or incomplete cuts
can become susceptible to disease and insect borers, so make
sure your cuts are done as sharply and cleanly as possible.
Angle the shears so that they are at a 45 degree angle, and
pointing toward the middle of the rose bush. Make the cut approximately ¼ inch
above the bud.
Part of the pruning process should include removing
suckers and any trace of rootstock or dead cane that may be emerging
from the ground. These attract pests and disease, so it’s important
to remove them when you’re doing your pruning. Be sure you
don’t leave the rose debris on the ground surrounding the plant,
and don’t put it in your compost pile. Throw away Rose debris
to ensure it does not attract insects.
For
significant cuts, consider sealing the cut with white
wood glue. Most cuts that are wider than the diameter of a
pencil are considered significant, and are good candidates
to be sealed. Sealing the cuts speeds up the plant’s healing
process, and makes the process of pruning less traumatic for
the plant. Most importantly, sealing protects against any insect
borers that may enter through recent cuts.
Throughout the year, practice proper pruning techniques even
during the active growing season. Inspect your blooms for vigor.
If you find canes that are poorly positioned (growing inward
rather than out), remove them once their bloom has faded. Practice
deadheading. Deadheading refers to removing dead blossoms from
the plant. For roses, you may even want to cut part of the
stem where the dead blossom has grown to direct future growth.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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