The Proper Method to Pruning Roses
The thought of cutting off part of what appears to be a healthy rose bush sounds like cruel and unusual punishment. In reality, pruning is an opportunity to help the rose grow into a healthier plant. Beyond making the plant look prettier, pruning removes diseased or dead parts, helps prevents disease by opening up the bush to more oxygen, and prepares it for new and stronger growth. Don't fear pruning: Roses are study plants and can survive pruning mistakes. With the right tools and a little practice, pruning can become second nature to a rose gardener. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Gardening gloves Pruning shears Loping shears Household glue (like Elmer's) Container
Instructions
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Determine the best time to prune roses. This will depend upon the climate. In general, roses should be pruned just before the plant comes out of dormancy after the last frost in early spring; this can be anywhere from early January in Los Angeles, California, to early April in Seattle, Washington. Check with your local nursery to see when it's best to prune in your area. However, if you are pruning old garden roses (a term that refers to a variety of rose, not bushes that have been growing for a while in your garden), prune them after they bloom. (They bloom on last year's wood.)
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Determine the degree of pruning. This will also depend upon the climate. Roses grown in colder climates are pruned by cutting back wood that was killed in the winter. Roses in warmer climates can be pruned at three different levels. Severe pruning leaves three or four canes that are 6 to 10 inches high; this produces fewer but larger blooms. Moderate pruning leaves five to 12 canes that are 18 to 24 inches high; this makes for a larger bush. Light pruning thins out less than 1/3 of the plant; this increases the number of short-stemmed flowers.
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Learn how to make a good pruning cut. It begins with a good pair of sharpened pruning shears that will make a clean cut without damaging the wood. Look for the dormant bud eye on the rose cane. It is located near the foliage (or where the foliage was), and looks like a small pimple above the surface of the cane. Move up about ¼ inch above the leaf set with the dormant eye (or where the leaf set was) and cut at a 45-degree angle. Set the pruning shears so that the angle is away from the center of the bush; this will open it up so the bush will receive more oxygen.
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Learn what to prune on the rose. Remove dead wood on a cane by cutting back to the healthy tissue that has green bark and a white pitch. Remove any stems that are thinner than pencil-width; these cannot support blossoms. Remove suckers (growth from the roots that are not part of the bud union) by cutting them as close to the main root can as possible. Remove woody old canes by cutting them as close to the bud union as you can.
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Prune miniature roses by removing diseased and dead stems, reducing the overall size of the bush to about 1/3 and leaving about five to six main healthy canes. This will result in a healthier, "bushy" plant.
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Finish the prune. Smear the cut edges with household glue. It will act like a bandage, sealing the cut, and will provide protection against cane borers. Clean up all trimmed foliage, blossoms and stems from around the rose bush. Leaving it on the ground can cause disease. Do not throw it into a compost heap.
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Tips & Warnings
When the rose cane is pruned properly, the rose will send nourishment to the cut part of the bush. The sap will rise from the cut on the cane and run down the sloping angle. Within a few weeks, the dormant eye bud will begin to swell, resulting in new growth.
Always be careful when handling pruning shears. Protect your hands with garden gloves when handling roses.
