To ensure that a rosebush does not slough off at its base and flowers abundantly, it is essential to prune it regularly. Training pruning is also required for some roses during the planting year. Although this does not present any particular difficulty, care must always be taken to choose the right period for intervening and to adapt the pruning to the variety of the rosebush. Here is what you need to know to take care of your roses and enjoy abundant flowering.
Pruning period for roses
It is usually in fall and at spring – but always outside frost period – that roses can be pruned, knowing however that only spring pruning can be severe. In the fall, we do what we call a pre-sizeluck of maintenance cut which simply removes dead wood. As for pruning carried out in March, it promotes reflowering. Some varieties of roses can, at this time of year, be very short.
However, non-remontant climbing roses must be pruned immediately after flowering, i.e. in summerbetween July and early August.
We can therefore remember that in the majority of cases, the flowering pruning of a rosebush is carried out in the spring, as soon as the first buds form.
Training pruning or first pruning of roses
This is the one we do in March, during the first year following the planting of the rosebush. It consists of short pruning the following varieties: standard rose and bush rose. The branches are severely reduced, to about ten centimeters. To do this, we section above the 3th eye.
As for the first pruning of climbing roses and shrub roses, it only concerns the smallest specimens which are reduced by between 30 and 40% in order to make them more vigorous.
The first pruning is not carried out on climbing roses purchased in containers if their branches measure more than 1.50 m. On the other hand, they must be trellised as soon as they are planted and then undergo flowering pruning.
A specific flowering size for each type of rose
It is necessary to clearly differentiate your different roses in order to adopt the flowering size that suits them perfectly.
Pruning Miniature Roses
These small roses can only be pruned every three years. This consists of thinning out the heart of the plant in order to aerate it, give it a nice shape and eliminate all dead branches.
On the other hand, it is important to cut the faded flowers as you go to encourage the formation of new roses.
Shrub rose pruning
From the age of 3 years, they need to remove their dead branches as well as the old branches lacking in vigour. The branching of varieties is favored upright habit thanks to a simple shortening whereas for the specimens with drooping habitit is necessary to keep the arched branches over their entire length, which is the charm of these roses.
Pruning non-remontant climbing roses
Branches that have flowered well are only completely cut if many new shoots appear. If not, just delete the oldest branches.
We take advantage of this pruning session to check and consolidate the trellising and remove faded roses.
Pruning climbing roses
These roses which flower several times a year need to be pruned in February or March, before other varieties because they are the first to come into vegetation after winter. They are indeed very early. It should keep the carpenter branches for several years. They are only removed when they can be replaced by new branches of good vigor so that the roses retain their assets.
The size consists of:
- Remove dead wood,
- Shorten the young shoots whose end has suffered the pangs of frost,
- Reduce the long secondary branches by a third, taking care not to strip the rosebush,
- Prune the short branches that gave flowers the previous year with 3 eyes.
Once you have finished pruning the ascending climbing roses, do not forget to trellis the branches and evenly distribute the filling.
Shrub rose pruning
The size is eliminate weak branches, too frail, as well as all the dead wood and if necessary the excess branches or those which are not well distributed. We therefore only keep the most beautiful branches while taking care to keep the balance of the bush.
For a shrub rose at spreading habit, the section is carried out in such a way as to keep a bud facing the top of the twig. For varieties with upright habitit should be pruned about ten millimeters above a bud that is heading outwards.
In the regions located at North of the Loire, better not to rush! We can wait until the month of March is well established to prune the bush roses because the risk of late frosts cannot be ruled out. In our southernmost regionsexcept in exceptional weather, the resumption of vegetation being earlier, it is possible to carry out this pruning during the second half of February.
Remove suckers or rejects
The suckers that develop on the rootstock considerably weaken the roses who end up dying if we do not intervene. In order for them to stop diverting the sap, it is essential to remove them as soon as they appear. Depending on the case, their starting point is located on the stems of certain roses, on the roots or even under the graft. These suckers cannot be confused with the branches of a rosebush since they have small leaves of a very light green and composed of 7 to 11 leaflets.
Pruning roses: a few essential steps
It is strongly recommended to sharpen well pruning shears before pruning a rosebush, condition sine qua non to obtain a straight cut and promote healing, but also to disinfect the various tools that you want to use. Disinfection is required at the end of the session, but also between each rosebush to avoid the risk of disease transmission. You can simply pass the blade of the pruner over a flame or alcohol.
As for the size, it must always be done bevel to protect the buds. The twig is cut obliquely, at least 5 or 6 millimeters above an eye, the inclination must be opposite to the bud so that the water can flow and not stagnate as this would cause rot. .