When a rose is nearly dead, or has reached its peak of bloom and is starting to wilt, you should throw it away. This process is called "deadheading" which aims to keep the rose tree looking beautiful and able to produce new flowers later. Deadhead will make the rose focus on growing new buds and flowers, instead of wasting energy on wilted flowers or producing seeds. When it's time to flower or in the summer (if you live in a country with 4 seasons), you should deadhead regularly until the plant begins to harden for winter.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Getting Ready
Step 1. Prepare the equipment needed for deadheading
You'll need clean, sharp scissors, gardening gloves, and a large bucket to hold the pruning.
- The scissors used must be able to cut neatly and cleanly, with a size small enough to hold hands and make precise cuts.
- Buy gloves that are long enough to cover your arms. Some roses are so dense and tall that you have to get inside the bush to prune certain types of roses. Cover the arms to protect them from the thorns.
Step 2. Learn to recognize dead roses and other problem areas that require deadheads
Deadhead is not only to encourage the emergence of flowers, but also useful for keeping rose plants healthy and free from fungus and insects. Examine the rose tree and look for the following:
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Dead roses.
When it has finished blooming, the rose will wither or hang down. The petals are also very loose and easily fall off even if only exposed to the breeze. These shoots must be pruned.
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A rose whose growth is competitive.
Some roses can grow crosswise or intertwined. These roses basically compete with each other to grow in the same small space, which will stunt growth and interfere with their appearance. By deadheading properly, you can change the direction of its growth when it blooms again later.
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Branches that grow inward.
Make sure the rose crown or the base of the tree gets plenty of sun and water exposure. Ingrown rose buds can block water and sunlight from reaching the plant and can lead to the growth of fungi that cause plant rot. Basically, shoots on rose plants should grow outwards and have a clean crown.
Part 2 of 2: Pruning Shoots
Step 1. Identify the set of 5 leaves facing the right direction
Look at the rose buds and look for rows of 3 or 5 leaves. The proper method for deadheading roses is to prune just above a row of 5 or more leaves. A series of 5 leaves (sometimes called true leaves) must face in the desired direction. For example, if you want shoots that grow outward from the plant, also prune the 5-leaf series that are pointing outward.
- Cuts made in a series of 3 leaves will produce shoots that do not produce flowers, which are called "blind wood". This means, the bud can not produce or grow roses. However, blind wood may produce flowers the following season.
- You don't have to prune the shoots at the first set of 5 leaves that are visible. The bunch of leaves sometimes don't face in the right direction and must be cut.
Step 2. Observe the buds
At the meeting point between a series of leaves and shoots you will see a black dot on it. This is called an eye bud which will become a place for new twigs to grow and produce flowers. Make sure you do the pruning above these buds.
If you need to prune or deadhead multiple roses, you may not have enough time to inspect each bud. Fortunately, the position of the bud eye is very close to the leaf series. Make cuts about 1 cm apart above the string of 5 leaves
Step 3. Make the cut at a 45 degree angle
Try not to make straight cuts. Cuttings with a 45-degree slope will help water and rain to flow and not stick to the cut marks so as to prevent the emergence of bacteria and fungi on the shoots.
- However, there are different opinions regarding the need for pruning roses at a 45-degree angle. Many sources claim that the shape of the cut will not affect the plant's ability to recover and the number of flowers it produces.
- Consider applying a small amount of white glue to the cut end. This can reduce the risk of disease entering the base of the plant.
Tips
- If you want to reduce the general size of your rose plant, cut the shoots short. This needs to be done on a type of rose that grows quickly and spreads like the David Austin rose. However, the shorter the pruning, the longer it will take for new flowers to appear.
- If you don't deadhead your roses, the dead flowers will turn into seeds, or grow erratically. By deadheading, you can enjoy lots of flowers when the season comes.
- If desired, you can put small, soft trimmed debris in a compost bin. However, don't add thick, woody pruning marks to your compost, as this material takes longer to decompose than young, tender pieces of twigs.
