How and when to prune rose bushes: What you should kn

rose bushes
How and when to prune rose bushes: What you should kn

Yes that’s how it is. Our goal today will be to teach to rose bushes you how to prune these plants. In addition, we will tell you what  materials you will need  and offer you the best advice to get a healthy and beautiful rose bush.

The rose bush: the plant of great beauty

To learn how to prune rose bushes, you must first know what a rose bush is and what main characteristics it has. This will determine the care, cultivation needs and maintenance it will need.

Rose bushes, belonging to the Rosaceae family,  can be shrubs  (of variable size depending on the specific species),  bushes  or climbing plants with woody stems . This notable genus includes some 150 species of wild roses and countless hybrids.

The  presence of thorns  on each of the stems is one of the common characteristics of almost all rose bushes. The leaves, however, can be evergreen or deciduous, everything will depend on the variety of the plant.

But if there is something that stands out above all, it is its flowers, the roses. As you well know,  rose bush flowers are aromatic . These are grouped in racemose inflorescences forming corymbs and the petals have very varied colors (from classic red to white or black).

A rose for every personal taste.

Pruning rose bushes: The necessary materials

Pruning rose bushes: The necessary materials
Pruning rose bushes: The necessary materials

Pruning, like other maintenance tasks such as transplanting or fertilizing, should not be done lightly and with any utensil we have at home.

So that the plant does not suffer stress and, above all, so that it does not become infected with any disease or pest, special care must be taken with the tools to be used.

To prune rose bushes, what you will need is the following:

  • A disinfected and well-sharpened pruning shears . To avoid infections, make sure it is in perfect condition.
  • Gloves  will be your great friend during rose  bush pruning. Make sure they are sturdy and safe to collect any thorny branches you cut.
  • Glasses  are  also good equipment to protect yourself.
  • Another tool that can be of great help if your rose bush is large is the  ladder . To reach the highest areas and work comfortably, we recommend that you use a ladder (or similar element).

Once you have everything you need to prune rose bushes, it’s time to get to

How to prune rose bushes: Everything you need to know

Before proceeding with pruning,  the first thing you should be clear about is what type of rose bush yours is . As we have told you before, rose bushes can be shrubs, bushes or climbing plants.

This will determine how to prune it.Although the type of rose bush you have will determine certain aspects of pruning, first we are going to explain the generalities of this process. These are common to all species.

  • Pruning shears must be disinfected and sharp . The size of your rose bush will determine the type of scissors to use. For example, if your plant is large, scissors with an extendable handle can be very useful. If you have questions about the tool, we advise you to go to a garden center.
  • Another of the most important aspects of pruning rose bushes is  cutting . This should be  clean and oblique . If you want your rose bush to bloom every year and be in perfect condition, always make oblique cuts.
  • Remove branches in poor condition . Also, eliminate those that do not produce flowers and those that are dry.
  • Also eliminate withered flowers and fruits , this way you will be promoting new flowering. If, on the other hand, you maintain these parts of the rose bush, you will be depriving the healthy flowers and branches of the energy they need.
  • Get rid of suckers that don’t add anything  (take them out from the base, don’t cut them). The suckers are the shoots that grow in the ground (next to the older rose bush) and absorb nutrients from the plants around them.
  • Something extremely important that you should know is that the  young branches with buds must be left intact.

These 5 questions are what you always have to take into account, regardless of the species of rose bush you have.

Types of rose bushes and how to prune them

Shrub and miniature rose bushes

Once you know the generalities of pruning rose bushes, now it is time to explain what to do when your rose bush is a bush rose bush.

For this type of plant, you have to  keep several main branches  (3 to 7 could be more than enough) and  give preference to the youngest shoots . Eliminate the woody ones,  leave the buds  and clear the center of your rose bush.

As simple as that.

Climbing

If the rose bushes have the ability to climb different surfaces, the pruning you do can be for training.

As in the previous case, you must  leave several branches intact  as these will be the ones that form the body of the plant. Eliminate suckers, side branches and crossing branches . Also, try to ensure that the shoots develop horizontally.

Rose bushes with bushy habit

And finally the rose bushes.

Rose bushes with bushy habit
Rose bushes with bushy habit

As the most important feature, you have to know that  they should not be pruned in the first years of development . You have to wait until it is already rooted and strong enough to withstand maintenance or training pruning.

Once a couple of years have passed (everything will depend on the species), you will have to prune it from time to time and to do this you must  cut the terminal branches .