How to Prune Rose Bushes in the Spring
Roses need spring pruning to remain healthy. Removing damaged or diseased wood and improving air circulation not only helps maintain the shape of the plant but also encourages new wood for flowering. Spring pruning needs to create an open center in the plant, allowing air and light to flow freely through it. This will allow the bush to begin growing in the optimum conditions required for a healthy summertime bloom. All roses require a degree of general pruning each spring. Even low maintenance shrub roses require a trim to remain healthy. Experienced rosarians prune their bushes when the yellow forsythia shrub blooms in the region. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Gloves
- Rubbing alcohol
- Handheld bypass pruning shears
- Loppers
- Tree/shrub wound sealant
- Rose fertilizer/food
Instructions
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Prune rose bushes when the yellow forsythia blooms in the region. This will occur in late March to April.
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Prune all dead wood or diseased canes first. Cut at a 45-degree angle going away from the bud.
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Cut canes at a 45-degree angle, a quarter of an inch above the outward-facing bud. Angle the cut away from the bud.
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Remove all canes that are thinner in diameter then a pencil. Clip these thin canes all the way down to the start of the growth.
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Look below the bub union for any growth. Remove any sucker growth from the rootstock trying to take over the plant from below the bud union. Tear instead of cut so you do not encourage more unhealthy growth. Grasp the sucker with your gloved hand and rip it off the plant.
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Remove 1/2 to 2/3 of the plant's overall height if the rose is a hybrid tea rose, grandiflora, or floribunda. Prune out the middle branches to encourage light and air flow within the plant.
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Prune canes until you see a white healthy interior. Cutting canes that are only brown in the center of the cane will do nothing to encourage the plant's growth because the wood is already dead.
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Seal all pruning cuts using a tree/shrub sealant that can be purchased at any garden supply store. Paint the sealant onto the pruned ends of the canes to prevent cane borers from invading the plant.
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Tips & Warnings
Throughout the growing season you should regularly prune dead flowerheads, branches or remove inappropriate growth.
After spring pruning, fertilize the rose bush with an all-purpose rose food. Follow the label directions for application.
Disinfect your pruning shears and loppers using alcohol to prevent the spread of disease.
Clean away all dead canes, wood or leaves from beneath the plant to prevent the spread of disease.
Make sure your pruning cuts are sharp, clean and neat. Shredded cuts will allow disease to take over the plant.
