How and when to prune roses

How and when to prune roses

Pruning is the most important care that a rosebush requires, in addition to watering it every day when it needs such attentions. If you follow closely the guidelines that we are going to share in this article you will get strong, beautiful, healthy roses; you just need to know how and when to prune. Pruning is a way to remove some branches to give more energy to the rest of the plant and thus have pretty roses. Besides teaching you how to care for a rosebush, at OneHowTo we explain in detail how to prune a rosebush.

After pruning a rose

We begin at the end. It may seem strange but it is important not to forget this step when pruning a rose. After pruning what we must do is clean the base of the plant and add a good layer (3 cm) of compost and then we pulverize with calcium polysulfide all the cuts so to give protection. This application is repeated after 15 days. Like so the plant will be ready to start its sprouting from late winter.

When to prune a rose

It can be done at different times of the year. This work should be done 2 times a year, once in late summer and the other at the end of winter, so pruning is directly related to rejuvenation and vitality for the next flowering. The minimum is to prune the rosebush at least once a year, although various pruning can be performed. In regions with a mild climate, pruning can be done ahead of time.

How to prune a rose

When pruning a rose we remove shoots and dead wood, i.e. those branches that are not healthy or do not produce flowers. You should also remove damaged flowers and fruits, in addition to making the rosebush look bad, it consumes its energy. We should always keep the young branches and those with buds, i.e. where the roses will later grow.

What I need to prune a rose

To prune the indispensable tool are the scissors, but the type of pruning, the bush species and its size will determine what type of scissors we need. It is also strongly recommended to use a glove to collect the branches of the rose so to not get pricked. If the rose is very large, as is the case for some trees, the use of scissors with an extendible telescopic handle will be of use. It is very important that the scissors are in good condition and that the pruning cut is oblique. You can see in the image which of the three types of pruning cut is correct, we have marked it with a red arrow.

What is the technique to prune a rose

  • The rose bush should always be pruned in a cup shape, getting rid of the central branches and those that may be damaging other stronger ones. If branches are small (like a pen) leaves three buds, and if thicker leave six. We will prune a bud with its orientation looking out. In the picture you can see cup-shaped pruning.
  • Climbing roses and vine roses have certain particularities, these need pruning in the way that you want to shape the rose. Then it must be reduced to maintain a balance of the wood and also remove shoots and branches that intersect. We must ensure that the new shoots grow as horizontally as possible.

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