07 How do I prune roses?
Description
This article is from the Rose Gardening FAQ, by Bill Chandler chandler@austin.ibm.com, Jolene Adams jolene@cchem.berkeley.edu, Brent C. Dickerson odinthor@csulf.edu, Karen Baldwin kbaldwin@veribest.com, and many contributors
07 How do I prune roses?
There are three main purposes to be accomplished when pruning roses.
* Keep the plant healthy.
* Encourage the plant to grow in a desired shape.
* Encourage blooming, either more blooms or larger blooms.
The proper tool for most pruning is a sharp clean set of bypass pruners.
Anvil pruners should not be used for roses as they crush the stem being cut.
A saw or lopping shears may be used to cut very large canes (1/2 inch
diameter or greater) All pruning cuts on canes greater than 1/4 inch
diameter should be sealed with nail polish or glue to prevent cane borers
from entering.
Proper pruning will help keep a rose bush healthy. Dead and diseased wood
should be removed as soon as possible to prevent further damage to the bush.
The future shape of the bush can be influenced by the location of each
pruning cut. Opening up the bush to increase air circulation will help
prevent diseases. Since rose bushes like to send out a strong lateral cane
at the node just below a pruning cut, try to make pruning cuts about 1/4
inch above an "outward" facing leaf bud. By doing this and removing plant
material from the center of the bush you will create a more open vase-shaped
plant less susceptible to disease. Whenever two canes cross each other, one
can be removed.
Roses can be encouraged to bloom better if thin, weak and non-productive
wood is removed to allow the plant to concentrate its blooming on the larger
healthier canes. Generally with Hybrid Teas any cane thinner than a pencil
should be removed. Plants may be pruned hard to encourage larger blooms but
fewer blooms (commonly done with Hybrid Teas.) Or the plant may be pruned
lightly and allowed to grow larger and produce more flowers that are smaller
(commonly done with some shrub roses.) Prune first year plants only lightly
to allow them to concentrate on establishing a strong root system.
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