Roses make a lovely addition to your garden, but keeping a rose bush thriving throughout the year is a bit of a trick. Roses are delicate flowers which demand plenty of hands-on attention. There are three different aspects essential for maintaining vibrant and healthy plants. These are watering, fertilizing, and pruning.
Most gardeners quickly master the watering and fertilizing part of caring for their rose bushes. But it can take a just a little more time before they feel confident enough to tackle the job of pruning. Whether a gardener’s reluctance to learn how to prune their roses the right way is due to a fear of harming the plant or just a lack of knowledge, it is a skill which they need to develop.
The Benefit of Pruning Your Rose Bushes
There are many reasons why pruning a rose bush is important. Failing to prune your roses may lead to decreased blooms and a sick or even dead plant. Roses are notorious for being susceptible to a wide number of diseases. When you prune, you are helping the plant by cutting away dead and diseased canes. This improves air circulation, reduces the chance of spreading a disease, and allows your rose bush to put more of its energy into creating beautiful blooms when the time comes.
Although pruning is necessary for creating strong and healthy roses, pruning at the wrong time of the year is disastrous.
The Danger of Summer Pruning
Any heavy or moderate pruning of rose bushes is not advisable during the hot summer months. This is because once a plant has left its dormant stage and is already in the growth stage, the plant’s cane is full of sap. When one of the rose bush’s canes are cut, the sap leaks out. Losing too much sap will weaken the entire rose bush. In this weakened state, the plant has a decreased chance of successfully fighting off a disease. In addition, the number of flowers will decrease as the plant diverts its stored energy toward healing itself.
How to Prune Roses in the Heat of Summer
Most gardening experts suggest that the best time to prune a rose bush is in the cooler weather when the bush is dormant. Although this is good advice, it does not mean there are never any occasions when a little light pruning to your rose bushes is beneficial, even during the dog days of summer.
When done the proper way, pruning a rose bush can encourage a second round of roses up until the middle of August.
In order to promote another harvest, first, find the shoots with flowers that have already bloomed. Make sure these shoots have no signs of disease.
Next, look for a five-leaf cluster on the shoot. Once you find it, use sanitized pruning shears to cut one or two centimeters above the cluster.
Within the next couple of weeks, you should start to see the first signs of the growth of a new shoot. Under good conditions, with a few weeks, you will have another beautiful rose.
Do you still have questions about growing the perfect rose or any other landscaping needs? Green Acre Landscape has been helping local residents and businesses create the landscapes of their dream since 1992. Green Acre Landscape are experts at design, installing, and maintain beautiful outdoor spaces. Call 503-399-8066, or contact them online to book an appointment.