Summer pruning is important for rose bushes. This process is also known as "deadheading" and causes the flower to focus on budding and flowering rather than producing seeds. It is necessary to trim with a good pair of shears every few weeks until the plants begin to armor themselves for the winter.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Trim in the First Year
Step 1. Plant your rose bushes
Pay special attention to the type of rose you are planting. In its own way, topping is very good for the flowering of rose bushes, you should adapt the procedure according to the type of rose.
- Sharpen a couple of garden shears. They should be small and sharp enough to separate the rosebud from the stem.
- When working with roses, wear gardening gloves to avoid getting stung by thorns.
Step 2. Cut off the dried rosebuds below the flower
Leave the right portion of the stem during the growth phase of the plant. Keep as many leaves as possible, as the plant needs them to grow healthy thanks to photosynthesis.
- The stems of the rose are the thickest stems that form the structure of the plant. As the rose grows, creating a stable structure, you can shorten the stem.
- This operation is also called cutting the peduncle.
- Start with the first flowering of the season and continue topping the buds until October 1st.
Part 2 of 2: Topping Old Rose Bushes
Step 1. Use the method of cutting buds on old rose bushes after the first flowering of the year
Leave the leaves and stems intact for a full season while the plant is still growing. After the first budding, you can change the topping style.
- Choose the type of rose you want to stimulate. You can prune roses to stimulate smaller and more numerous or larger and fewer buds. The stem you prune is proportional to the size of the buds.
- Prune the stem over the first leaf near the bud, called the knot, if you want to encourage lots of small buds. The new stem will start where you cut off.
Step 2. Prune the stem lower, for example where 5 leaves meet or even lower to encourage large buds
It will take longer for the buds to develop, but they will be more spectacular buds.
Prune the dead buds, but leave the new and healthy ones. You can prune in stages over the course of the summer to ensure your roses are always healthy
Step 3. Cut further down the stems if you want to reduce the size of a bush on average
You can prune further down on woody stems. The more drastic the pruning, the longer the new buds will take to form, but this won't damage the bush unless you do it too late in the season.
- Consider putting a bit of putty on the tip of thicker, freshly cut stems. It can avoid the risk of diseases that would reach the base of the plant. Smaller, thinner stems will quickly heal on their own.
- Adapt your pruning style to the type of rose. If your roses bloom in clusters, you may want to cut a whole cluster at the base of the knot. If you have climbing roses, you may want to cut 0.6 cm above the first 5 or 7 leaves below a withered bud.
