Prune Your Roses Like an Expert: Five Quick Steps for an Abundance of Blooms
Pruning your rose bushes is essential to encourage healthy growth and an abundance of beautiful flowers throughout the summer. Here’s a step-by-step guide provided by experts to help you achieve stunning rose blooms:
Gather your tools: Before you start pruning, make sure you have sharp secateurs, a pruning saw, thick gloves, and a disinfectant to sterilize your tools.
Step 1: Remove the top growth: Cut back all the stems by about one-third, removing any remaining flowers or leaves. Clear away any suckers (growth from the root system below the graft) to make subsequent pruning easier.
Step 2: Cut old growth at the base: Remove any spindly growth, dead branches, and old wood at the bottom of the plant. Use a pruning saw for thicker stems. Discard all cuttings to prevent disease.
Step 3: Cut the framework: Select three to five healthy green branches to form the framework for next season’s growth. Remove any unwanted or old framework branches. Identify outward-facing buds to encourage growth away from the center of the plant.
Step 4: Keep the rose bush healthy: Clear away all pruning debris, fallen leaves, and flowers. Spray your roses with lime sulfur after pruning to prevent diseases. Do this immediately after pruning to avoid burning new shoots.
Step 5: Add mulch: Renew the mulch around the plant with a 5cm layer of organic matter. Water the plant thoroughly. Mulch helps retain moisture, nourishes the plant, and promotes beautiful blooms.
By following these five quick steps, you’ll be able to prune your rose bushes like an expert, ensuring an abundance of beautiful blooms throughout the summer. Remember to gather the necessary tools, remove the top growth, cut old growth at the base, cut the framework, keep the rose bush healthy, and add mulch to nourish the plant and promote healthy growth.
