subject: Pruning Rose Bushes for Beautiful Hybrid Teas [print this page] Pruning rose bushes is critical to the health and beauty of your rose bushes.
There have been many times I have passed by a rose garden and made the comment that the owner must not know how to prune rose bushes. This is not just the case in home gardens. It also happens in well-landscaped parks where gardeners should know better.
Pruning rose bushes is actually a very basic task in rose gardening. If properly done, pruning promotes new growth and blooms. It allows more sunlight to get to the plant. It improves air circulation. It helps to improve the quality of the bloom.
There are many types of roses. Hybrid teas are by far my favorite. They are great for cut flowers and rose gardening. I have listed what I consider the best roses on my blog.
This article will focus on pruning hybrid tea roses.
You don't need many tools in order to prune rose bushes properly.
You should definitely use a pair of clean, sharp, sterile pruning shears. Long handled loppers should be used to prune thick canes.
Clean your cutting tools with 91% Rubbing Alcohol. This should be done before beginning the cutting exercise. They should be dipped in the alcohol after pruning each bush. This prevents the spread of disease like blackspot, for example.
You need protection from the thorns of rose bushes. I suggest long leather gloves and possibly long sleeves.
How to prune rose bushes
Rose bushes must go through a major pruning once per year, generally in late winter or early spring. The time to do this is when the bush is beginning to put out new growth. This new growth is in the form of little red buds that will eventually turn into stems.
Before pruning a rose bush, take a good look at each one. Select 3-6 canes that you want to keep. Remove any canes that are damaged or rubbing against each other. Cut out any dead canes completely. Dead canes will appear very dark or even black. Remove any spindly canes (less than the width of a pencil). All of these canes should be cut back to the bud union at the base of the plant.
In pruning rose bushes, try to clear out the center of the bush to improve air circulation and give better access to sunlight. Each stem should be cut at a 45 degree angle with the slant facing the inside.
Make sure you make a clean cut through each stem rather than crushing it.
For the healthy canes that you are keeping, cut them back to 1 to 3 feet. I generally cut my plants back to between 1 foot to 1 1/2 feet.
The cut should be made so that it ends about of an inch above a bud that is facing the outside of the plant. This encourages the stem to grow up and away from the center of the plant.
Don't be concerned that this major pruning process is destroying your roses. They will be much healthier because of your effort.
After pruning your rose bushes, clean your tools with alcohol.
Deadheading your roses during the year. This is another form of pruning rose bushes.
Deadheading roses is extremely important in achieving many beautiful blooms. After the bloom starts to die and is spent, you need to cut off the dead bloom. The cut should be made just above a leaf that has 5 leaflets. Many experts recommend that you cut above the first 5 leaflet section. I prefer to go down to the second 5 leaflet section.
Pruning Rose Bushes for Beautiful Hybrid Teas
By: Scott Hubbard
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