Even if it seems unbelievable in view of the many publications on the subject, almost all of which come up with complicated pruning rules: roses are among the most pruning trees. Regular pruning promotes health and abundance of flowers, and also extends the life of the rose. In this article, however, we have compiled which measures for pruning should be taken at which time of the year.
Frequently blooming roses get their pruning in spring
Prune back blooming roses in spring
Most gardeners are probably aware that roses are usually pruned in spring: an old rule says that pruning should be done when the forsythia are in bloom - this is usually between late March and early April. In principle, this statement is also correct, with one exception: roses that bloom once (which includes almost all historical roses) are always cut back after flowering in summer, as they only flower on previous or perennial wood. The spring pruning is therefore only carried out on rose varieties that bloom more often (which includes all modern roses). With these, pruning promotes new shoots and thus, since the modern roses bloom on one-year-old wood, also the abundance of flowers in the same year.
Thin out and rejuvenate all roses in spring
But regardless of whether they bloom once or more often: All roses must be thinned out in spring, whereby frozen and diseased shoots in particular must be removed. These are shortened to the base or to the healthy wood. Cut back into the healthy marrow until it looks greenish-white and no longer shows any brown spots. In addition, remove all thin and weak shoots, as these cannot bear flowers anyway and thus only rob the plant of its strength. Do not leave any shoot stumps: these are targets for fungi.
Summer pruning keeps roses fit
Summer pruning measures are an important means of stimulating the willingness and abundance of flowers to bloom. This extends the rose bloom until autumn. You can also tackle a topiary for old roses and ramblers that bloom once in the warm summer months.
Extend flowering time by pinching
After the often exuberant abundance of blossoms in June, all roses enter a phase in which only a few blossoms can be seen. Most plants first have to gather strength for the next flowering stage, so it is - at least in the case of the varieties that bloom more often - a kind of resting phase. You can sometimes bypass the flowering pause with a trick known as pinching. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Before the first pile blooms, remove up to a third of the shoots including the buds.
- Since this pile is often very lush, you will most likely not even notice the lack.
- By removing the underlying eyes drive out again immediately
- and bloom exactly when the first bloom has faded.
Cut back faded leaves
After flowering, the withered shoot is cut back to the next full leaf. If you look closely at the faded shoot, you can see that there is no complete multi-part leaf directly under the flower. This sheet is only one to three parts. Only the second or third leaf below is fully developed, i. H. it has five, seven or even nine parts, depending on the variety. Now cut off the withered shoot directly above this leaf and the eye will sprout again. New flowers usually form within the next six weeks. For roses in clusters, wait until all the flowers have faded. Then you can cut back the whole inflorescence to a fully developed leaf.
Topiary for once-blooming roses
All single-flowering roses should be shaped immediately after flowering. In contrast to the pruning of the frequently flowering varieties, old shoots are only removed now. The newly growing shoots will then bear flowers the next year. Old roses tend to have long side shoots that lie on the ground or grow far into the other planting. You can cut them back without any disadvantages or use them as a propagation plant. For rambler and cascade roses, prune long stems after flowering and pull back older stems to the base.
Cut roses in the cold season
Autumn pruning is mainly done for health reasons, to prevent infestation with the typical rose diseases. Cut back dead plant material before the winter break to eliminate possible sources of infection. Dead shoots are preferentially colonized by fungi and bacteria, which in turn cause rot and infections. To avoid this, cut back all weak and thin shoots shortly before winter - when the first frosty nights have already fallen. This means that dead wood cannot form in the first place and fungi don't stand a chance.
tips
Wild shoots should always be removed in good time, because if they sprout below the grafting point, they can completely overgrow a rose. As a result, this dies off and the wild rose rootstock takes its place. Do not simply cut off the shoot - otherwise it will always grow back. Use the spade to expose the grafting area and tear off the shoot with a twisting motion.