Rose Pruning • Ian
Winter time is the correct time to prune those roses in your garden.
Winter time is the correct time to prune those roses in your garden. While there is a great deal of disagreement among rose experts regarding how and when to prune roses, it is generally agreed that most mistakes will grow out very quickly and it is better to make a good effort at pruning roses than to let them grow rampant. |
Just remember that first and foremost, the goal of all pruning is to help the plant provide new growth and to keep it healthy by making it possible for air and light to filter into the middle of the bush. As you are guided by these two principles, you will find that pruning roses is fairly common sense and not nearly as complex as you once may have thought. The following steps will help you properly prune any of the bush or standard roses such as hybrid teas, grandifloras and floribundas: |
1. Wait until your roses are dormant
In our climate roses rarely go into a full dormancy or completely lose their leaves, but with the exception of ramblers, most roses can be pruned during late winter when growth is just resuming.
2. Clean all debris away from plants
Clear away grass and leaves, anything that might harbour insects and diseases.
3. Use sharp tools
Use sharp secateurs and, for larger stems, loppers or a pruning saw. Make all cuts clean.
4. Remove dead, old, diseased wood |
5. Do not keep green canes on old wood |
7. Remove any suckers |
6. Make flush (close) cuts
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8. Final plant height
Moderate prune: Cut back the stems that are left to one third their length, this is considered a moderate prune. A moderate prune is what is recommended for nearly all established bush and standard roses in regular soil.
Hard prune: With the exception of climbing roses, prune all newly planted roses hard (so that only 3 or 4 buds are left from the base of the plant) to encourage vigorous shoots. Hard pruning can rejuvenate old and neglected roses, but you are generally better off with moderate pruning.
9. Cut to and just above a leaf bud |
10. Cut surface should be white not brown
If it is brown, cut back further until the plant tissue is white and healthy. Your goal is to have an open-centered bush with only healthy stems when you are done.
11. To finish
Paint all cuts with a sealing compound to protect the plant against diseases and pests. Painting the cuts takes just a few minutes.
You are done! In the spring when the plants begin to break dormancy, give them some fertilizer to help them get ready to flower.
If you think the above sounds too complicated, you can opt for the easy-care method. Simply cut the bush in half, straight across with a hedge trimmer. Job done. Nothing more complicated than that. Leave all wood, but if you wish you can cut out all dead wood. Interestingly enough, experts that have experimented with both the moderate and easy care trimming method, report that there are no noticeable differences later on in the growth and bloom of the bush.
So do not be afraid to prune - just go ahead and start to experiment. You will be rewarded with your own valuable experience and a bounty of sweet smelling roses!
Marc Vijverberg
Marc Vijverberg and Gurli Jakobsen
638 180 284
659 880 444
Guardamar del Segura
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