Pruning roses: when and how to do it
In general, the most suitable time for pruning roses is when the vegetative period ends and the first buds appear.
This period is varied, because it depends on the place and the climate in which we find ourselves. Generally, however, it may be fine from the end of autumn until February / March.
If the climate is cold and wet, pruning should be delayed a little, until the beginning of spring, to avoid exposing the “wound” due to cutting at too low temperatures. If the climate is more temperate, the pruning will be anticipated, to avoid having to make the cut when the rose has already begun to resume its vegetative activity, compromising flowering.
When to prune roses
Almost all roses require strong pruning between late winter and early spring.
Later in the year, maintenance work must be carried out which involves cutting the diseased or dead branches and faded roses.
The tools used are the shears for thin branches and the saw for thicker ones.
The cuts must be made cleanly and at a distance of about 1 cm above the bud. Choosing a gem that is facing outwards will allow you to achieve a harmonious growth of your plant.
The first thing to do is free the plant from dead or damaged branches. Then, move on to the stems that intersect with each other.
How to prune roses
Try to favor the young branches that start from the base: these will be able to support a greater number of gems. The older branches, visibly dry and shabby, will have to be cut, if necessary, to the base or to the intersection with a new, more vigorous section.
The cut must always be at 45 ° towards the side opposite the last gem left.
Shorten the branches you have chosen, so as to encourage the growth of a strong and low plant. The cuts must always be made at an angle of 45 °, above a leaf bud facing outwards and oblique to the center of the plant.
Of course, each type of plant has its own rules and preferences for pruning: old roses need a “lighter” hand, while bush roses , on the other hand, have more decisive cuts.
Good mulching of the soil can always be useful, especially when temperatures continue to be cold.
Remember that the new rose seedlings planted in autumn and winter can be pruned in early spring; while those planted in spring, during planting or when vegetation is resumed.
