Roses should be cut to get rid of damaged, diseased, or dead canes, and to promote strong, healthy growth and blooming.
The video reference provides some context, but lacks detail. Here's a more comprehensive guide:
General Principles of Rose Cutting (Pruning)
While the reference emphasizes removing damaged or dead parts, pruning roses correctly is a more nuanced process. Different rose types benefit from different pruning techniques. The ideal time for major pruning is late winter or early spring, just before new growth begins.
- Safety First: Wear thick gloves (rubber-tipped or cotton) to protect your hands from thorns.
- Tools: Use sharp, clean pruning shears or loppers. Dull or dirty tools can damage the rose and spread disease. Bypass pruners are preferred over anvil pruners, as they make cleaner cuts.
- Angle of Cut: Make cuts at a 45-degree angle, about 1/4 inch above an outward-facing bud. This encourages growth in the direction you want. An outward-facing bud promotes an open center in the rose bush, allowing for better air circulation and sunlight penetration.
- Remove Dead, Diseased, and Damaged Wood: Cut these canes back to healthy wood. If the cane is entirely dead, remove it completely at the base. Disinfect your pruners between cuts on diseased wood to prevent spreading the problem.
- Thinning: Remove crossing canes or canes that are rubbing against each other. This improves air circulation and prevents damage.
- Suckers: Remove any suckers (shoots growing from below the bud union) at their point of origin. These steal energy from the grafted rose.
Pruning Different Types of Roses
- Hybrid Teas: These benefit from heavier pruning. Cut back to 3-5 strong canes, 12-18 inches from the ground.
- Floribundas: Prune more lightly than hybrid teas. Remove dead or weak wood and shorten the remaining canes by about one-third to one-half.
- Climbing Roses: Prune after they flower. Remove old or weak wood. Train the canes horizontally along a support structure to encourage more blooms along the length of the cane.
- Shrub Roses: These generally require minimal pruning. Remove dead, diseased, or crossing canes. You can lightly shape the bush to maintain its desired size and form.
- Miniature Roses: Prune lightly to remove dead or weak wood and maintain their shape.
Summer Pruning (Deadheading)
Deadheading (removing spent blooms) encourages repeat blooming. Cut the stem just below the spent flower, about 1/4 inch above a leaf with five leaflets.
