Rose bush pruning is a vital part in caring for your rose bush.
Pruning can be tricky and intimidating especially for a newbie.
There are many ways suggested by experts to help you in proper pruning and this will be discussed below.
First, you may wonder why you need to prune? This is done to encourage healthy growth of your plants.
By removing dead wood and leaves, also called deadheading, you will be channeling the energy of your rose bush where it's needed the most.
This will promote growth of new shoots, and this will result in larger and more blooms.
Your garden will look better and more appealing.
Below are things to remember to get the most from rose bush pruning: oYou'll need thick gloves, long-handled loppers, and bypass pruners which are preferred in rose bush pruning compared to the anvil pruners.
Make sure that your bypass pruner is sharp so you can make a clean-cut, as ragged cuts can leave your branches exposed to pests and diseases.
Also, remember to clean your tools with rubbing alcohol after pruning each bush, so you will not transfer any disease or pest to other plants in your garden.
oThe best time for rose bush pruning is early spring when the roses are dormant.
The ideal time in doing this is when leaf buds start to swell.
This is done at this time to allow growth of new shoots, as rose bushes flower best during this period.
Of course, you can do this anytime of the year if your plant is diseased.
oStart at the base of your rose bush.
Pruning is done primarily to remove broken, dead as well as dying parts of the plant.
This should include weak or thin stems, so you can make way for healthier stems to grow.
How can you determine if a stem is dead? If they're healthy, the color of the stem is green.
But, if their color is brown or gray, then you'll need to cut these parts of the rose bush.
Pruning is done as close to the base as possible to make sure that you'll get all of the diseased parts.
If you leave them alone, they can spread and you can have a tall plant with very few flowers or you can have a dying plant, throughout.
oWhen you make the cut, do it at a 45 degree angle, about ¼ inch above a bud that's facing outward.
Direct growth outward, you can do this by cutting buds that are facing inward to keep the center of the bush open.
This will allow better air circulation.
oDo not paint or dab on the cuts made because they can heal on their own, except, if the cuts are significant.
If the cut is like the diameter of a pencil, consider sealing it with white glue or paint to allow faster healing.
oRemove branches that are criss-crossing or rubbing against one another to prevent congestion and allow better breathing space.
Leave about 3 to 6 canes as keepers.
oRemove suckers or wayward canes at the base of the plant, these suckers compete with them for nutrients.
oAfter doing all these, look at your rose bush.
Prune to shape them better to your liking.
oPick up all the stems or wastes that have fallen off after your careful time - rose bush pruning.