When and how to prune old rose bushes?

when and how to prune old rose bushes

Over time, rosebushes have various maintenance tasks that must be done if we want to keep them in good condition. One of these tasks is pruning. As the rose grows older it can be somewhat more delicate when it comes to pruning. There are many people who do not know how to prune old rose bushes for fear of causing them to stop producing the precious flowers.

For this reason, we are going to indicate what are the steps to take into account to learn how to prune old rose bushes.

Types of pruning

climbing rose

There are three different ways to prune rose bushes depending on the desired result of the rose bush:

When to prune old rose bushes

The type of pruning that is done on rose bushes depends on their age. Depending on the different years of cultivation, pruning is as follows:

After pruning, it is necessary to enrich the soil with amendments and fertilizers.

Spring pruning (late winter or early spring) is a rejuvenating pruning done when there is no longer any danger of frost. This is the time for traditional rose pruning, with regular annual pruning of all shrub roses, hybrid tea roses, garden roses, dwarf roses or miniature roses…almost all rose bushes except climbing roses. Climbing rose pruning has its own times and tricks, as we will see now.

Rose pruning in June

After the first spring bloom, which usually occurs between April and May, many gardeners choose to prune rose bushes again in June. It is preferred to cut dry roses only in one or two buds below the rose for stimulate new flowers without reducing the vigor of the rose.

If you decide to prune the rose bushes in June, it must be a very superficial pruning, independent of the deep pruning that can be done in late winter and early spring, which is a more intense pruning.

Prune rose bushes in the fall

It is not highly recommended to prune old rose bushes in September or October, especially if we live in a cold area prone to early frosts. In hot or temperate climates, pruning may be considered, but should always be done to maintain order in the bush rather than heavy spring pruning.

The problem with these prunings is that they are very close to winter. When we can, we are stimulating the bush to grow new shoots that freeze before new roses grow.

Prune old rose bushes step by step

prune old rose bushes

One of the common questions novice gardeners have is not knowing where to start cutting. The ideal is to prune our rose bushes once a year. As for timing, start pruning in late winter or early spring. If we do this in early spring, we have to make sure we don’t have frost. But if we can get to the end of winter, we run less risk. The sap will not flow through the stem and early shoots are less likely to emerge which can freeze.

Before you start pruning, have the necessary tools ready. Check your rose pruning shears in case they need sharpening. If the scissors are not sharp enough, we run the risk of “tearing” the branches and not cutting them clean enough, which can be an entry point for viruses and diseases. The scissors must be very clean.

The incision should be made above the dormant buds of the rosebushes and beveled to prevent water droplets from remaining in the incision when it rains, stagnating and causing infection of the rosebush. The cuttings should always be made above the buds facing the outside of the rosebush to avoid ingrown branches.

Once the pruning is done, We must remove all pruning waste from the garden to avoid fungus or any other type of disease.

If the rose has been attacked by fungus or a parasite, it is best to remove the residue completely. Ideally, burning them to prevent them from spreading, but taking them to a landfill may be enough. If we find healthy pruning remains, we can crush them with our garden shredder and add them to the composter to make natural compost and fertilize the garden.

Insecticidal oils are mineral oils and are suitable for use on trees and shrubs. Its mission is to suffocate the eggs of aphids, red spiders and any other pest that we cannot see with the naked eye.but they are there in a larval state waiting for the heat to arrive. This is the perfect time for this task, with fewer branches and leaves, we do not run the risk of leaving branches because we do not spray.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about how to prune old rose bushes.

When and how to prune old rose bushes?

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