Pruning roses is never an easy task. In fact, it is one of the tasks least liked by old and young gardeners alike. Nobody likes dipping their bare arms into a bush of roses and getting pricked by a stubborn thorn every now and then. But pruning is one of the most vital parts in the proper care of roses. Letting go of this task will surely result in a rose plant too big it will eventually kill itself. The different kinds of rose plants require different kinds of care. We will focus more on pruning climbing roses more than anything else.
Again, there are different kinds of climbing roses. The first kind is the ramblers, or vigorously growing roses that can produce up to 20 feet of canes if left to their own devices. Ramblers produce small flowers and they bloom only once every year, but they bloom gloriously and brilliantly because they produce a lot of small flowers that grow in huge clusters that burst forth from the bud. Ramblers are different from large climbers, often also called true climbers, because they take more time to grow as high as ramblers. Large climbers bloom repeatedly each year and they produce big flowers that can leave any passer-by in awe. To quickly distinguish ramblers from climbers without waiting for the blooming season, simply take a look at their branches. More flexible twigs that allow the roses to climb up to 20 feet will surely tell you that you have a rambler at hand, and you know you have a true climber if you have more rigid stems.
What makes the difference between ramblers and climbers so significant? There is a right time for pruning your roses-that is, when they are dormant so the plant does not go through a lot of shock while being cut back. In single-bloomers like rambling roses, you should take out your pruning tools during the late winter or early spring and after each blooming season. Repeat bloomers do well with once-a-year pruning at the end of the year. But before you start clipping away those old leaves and branches, take a look at how the professionals do it.
Step 1: Clean your tools first to make sure that no fungus, bacteria, or virus gets in touch with their rose plants. Spraying with a disinfectant made of 25% bleach solution is a great way to kill all microorganisms that have attached to the metal. Also, make sure to disinfect the tools after pruning one plant and before moving on to the next just to be certain that no disease spores from the first plant are transferred to the next.
Step 2: The first thing to do is to prune away the old leaves, twigs, and branches. Removing dead, old, and diseased foliage leaves a lot of room for new growth that is more productive when it comes to producing blooms and less susceptible to fungal diseases such as blackspot, rust, and botrytis blight. Your main focus here should be, "Out with the old, in with the new."
Step 3: Step back and set a framework for yourself to follow. Which way would you like your climbing roses to grow? The answer to that is sideways. Growing horizontal climbers is the key to vigorous and vibrant blooms every year. This is because the buds of shoots grown upwards release certain natural chemicals that inhibit the development of lower buds. If all the buds are found at the same level, you can leave this problem out and look forward to a rich blooming season.
Step 4: Individually take off the strings that bind your climbers to their support. This may be a trellis, a wall, or an arch. Whatever its support may be, start pruning climbing roses from below and cut away all canes, leaving only two to five buds per shoot. Remove as much dead wood as possible, but leave ¼ of an inch to support the bud's development. When you're done with this, fasten the cane back to its support using a soft twine or a thin wire. Make sure you do not fasten it too tightly so that the plants have enough room to breathe in. Start working on the other canes.
Step 5: Clean up your area from all dead leaves, twigs, and branches. This lessens the chance of your plants catching fungal diseases whose strains may still be left in the dead foliage.
When you have followed all of these steps, you have successfully pruned your climbing roses the way the professionals do it. It's not an easy task, we admit, but it is one of the most rewarding parts in the proper care of roses. Learn to master pruning and you will learn to like the task itself, as much as you like seeing your roses grow healthy, bright, and beautiful.
Catherine Martin comes from a long line of passionate rose lovers, growers and enthusiasts. As an author, she is committed to demystifying the common rose, so that all who wish to can grow them easily. For more great information on growing climbing roses, visit http://www.rosegardeningexpert.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Catherine_Martin
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