Cutting stem roses: step-by-step instructions

Roses (bot. Rosa) are among the declared favorite flowers of many hobby gardeners. The splendid blooms of the "Queen of Flowers" come into their own with tree roses. This is by no means a separate class of varieties, but merely rose varieties that are grafted on trunks. You cut tree roses like any other shrub and bush rose. The following instructions show step by step when and how you can best proceed.

Cut stem roses

Whether elegant standard roses or cute dwarf trunks: rose trees can be used in a variety of ways in large and small gardens. However, they develop a very special effect when they are specifically staged as solitaires - for example as Main attraction in the middle of a flower bed, to the left and right of the main entrance door to the house or in the front garden.

In order for tree roses, with their lavish blooms and beautiful growth, to bring joy for a long time, you have to prune them regularly. Roses neglected in this regard tend to develop fewer and fewer flowers over the years. In addition, there is a risk of fungal or bacterial diseases or a pest infestation, for example because the crown of the stem does not allow enough light and air into the interior.

Tools

Rose or garden shears are sufficient to cut the stem roses, only thicker branches sometimes have to be cut with pruning or hedge shears. Choose a model that is light and comfortable in the hand and with which you can cut through woody shoots without too much effort. The scissors should be freshly sharpened so that the branches are cut really neatly and not just squashed. The latter damages the growth layer - the so-called Cambrian - and leads to the fact that new shoots develop only with difficulty or not at all. In addition, hygiene is the top priority in order to avoid the transmission and penetration of germs. Roses are known to be very susceptible to this. Therefore, disinfect the scissors before and after each use with a suitable alcoholic solution from the hardware store or pharmacy.

time

The most important thing when pruning roses is the right time. If you catch it, the plant will sprout particularly vigorously and develop numerous buds and flowers. An old rule says that the rose gardener is best to use secateurs when the forsythia is in bloom. In fact, the main pruning of most rose varieties takes place between late March and early April. However, do not cut during a period of frost, but wait for mild and dry weather. Late night frosts in particular destroy the rose shoots, which are sensitive due to the pruning, and prevent them from sprouting again.

tip: Even in damp, rainy weather, pruning is not recommended. The rain transmits germs that penetrate the plant through the fresh cuts and infect it.

Blooming once or more often?

Before you go into the garden after the winter break and your Standard roses get in shape, you better look again to see which variety you have specifically. The timing and type of pruning also depend on whether it is a multiple or one-flowering rose variety. The latter experience their main cut after the summer bloom, after all they only form their bloom on the wood of the previous year. Almost all historical roses belong to this group. Modern rose varieties, on the other hand, are mostly frequent flowering varietieswhich, in contrast, bloom on annual wood and are therefore best cut back in spring.

Cutting stem roses: instructions

Many a rose lover's heart bleeds when the secateurs are used every year and the rose is cut back vigorously. But do not be afraid: Such a cut does not cost the plant excessive strength, instead it prevents it from aging. Rose trees only sprout at the end of the branch, so that regular shortening of the shoots means constant renewal. This section explains how to properly prune stem roses.

Spring cut

Regardless of the type of rose, it is essential to take care of the pruning in spring. To do this, proceed as follows:

• Remove dead and diseased branches
• remove all thin and weak branches
• remove all inward-growing shoots
• cut away the weaker branch of intersecting shoots
• cut off directly at the base
• alternatively into healthy wood (recognizable by the greenish color)
• never leave the stub of the shoots standing

Varieties that bloom more often not only receive a care cut, but are also severely shortened at the same time. How much you actually prune the branches of the tree roses depends on the specific Rose variety away. In most cases, bush or bed roses were grafted on a wild rose underlay and are therefore cut as follows:

• Shorten young side shoots to four eyes in shrub roses
• Shorten young side shoots to two to three eyes in bed roses
• Do not leave too many branches on hybrid tea
• always cut above an outward-facing bud
• Do not shorten shoots evenly, but shorten them according to the shape of the crown
• Cut back more at the top and bottom than on the sides
• if necessary, ensure a uniform spherical shape

However, you do not necessarily have to cut the standard rose as a ball. Instead, you can leave the crown in its natural growth shape, which makes it look bushier.

tip: So-called cascade roses or weeping roses are vigorous climbing roses that have been grafted onto a trunk. Of course, you don't cut these varieties spherically, after all, the overhanging growth of the shoots is intentional. You should therefore only prune cascade roses slightly by shortening oversized shoots and cutting out older shoots.

Summer cut

Also with regard to a summer pruning, the pruning measures differ for frequently and once-blooming rose varieties.

Frequently blooming roses

Roses that bloom more often show their splendor from around June to autumn. So that the stems keep developing new flowers throughout the summer, you should cut back what has faded. Proceed as follows:

• Cut back the withered shoot down to a complete leaf
• below the flower there is only a one to three-part leaf
• Only the second or third below is fully developed
• this is five to nine parts
• Leaf should face out
• Cut off the shoot just above this leaf

New flowers usually form after about six weeks. In the case of cluster-flowered varieties, do not cut off each withered flower individually, but wait until the entire shoot has withered. Also cut this off here above the next fully developed leaf.

tip: With the so-called pinching, you bridge the longer rest phase that occurs after the first pile in June with more frequently blooming varieties. In this way, standard roses will bloom continuously. To do this, remove about a third of all bud-bearing shoots before the first flower pile. These sprout again and then bloom at a later point in time.

Single-flowering rose varieties

Single-flowering tree roses - which include historical rose varieties as well as cascade roses - can be pruned after they have bloomed. Here the pruning is not as vigorous as with the more frequently blooming varieties:

• Removal of dead and sick (fungus-infected!) Shoots
• Thinning out too dense shoots
• every two to three years remove some older branches directly at the base
• Cut back shoots without flower buds

In contrast to the more frequent flowering varieties, you do not have to pay too much attention to the buds of the single flowering ones. Over the years, these roses develop large, strong and bushy crowns, which often gives them a wildly romantic look. The long, whip-like branches that sometimes reach down to the ground are also characteristic. You can shorten this without worry or use it as a sinker for your own propagation.

tip: Incidentally, these standard roses look particularly attractive if you prune them in a dome-shaped manner. The shoots are highest in the middle of the crown and finally drop off to the sides.

Removing the wild shoots

Whether a single or frequent flowering rose variety: Wild shoots occur in all tree roses and should be removed immediately. These are unwanted shoots of the wild rose rootstock that sprout either on the trunk or directly from the rootstock. They rob the standard rose of the energy necessary for flowering and shoot growth and can even lead to the rootstock gaining strength and ultimately shedding the ennobled crown. Always cut wild shoots directly at the base or, if such a shoot grows out of the rhizome, there if necessary.

Rejuvenate aged standard roses

If the high trunk was not cut at all or only rarely, more and less new shoots and therefore fewer flowers will form in the case of varieties that bloom more often. Instead, the crown looks bare and not very leafy, perhaps in contrast to the wild shoots that grow rampant at the base of the trunk. With a bit of luck, you can rejuvenate such a specimen in early spring, but you have to go to work quite drastically:

• Removal of all wild shoots directly at the base
• New crown structure: leave only two to three main branches
• shorten these significantly
• Take out the other old branches and twigs right at the base
• Shorten the remaining side shoots to two or three eyes

Then provide the rose that has been cut back with fresh compost or manure so that it has plenty of nutrients for new growth. However, it can take two to three years for this specimen to grow lush and bloom beautifully again. Until then, take care of them and also cut away all wild shoots and weak branches so that the plant does not lose excessive strength.