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It’s the perfect time to prune your roses so that you have beautiful blooms in summer

Why do we prune roses?

1) To encourage rejuvenation.

2) To regulate bud production and to increase the size of the flowers.

3) To shape the tree so that it allows the sunlight into the centre of the plant.

4) To boost the immune system of the tree.

What do you need?

For Protection you need gloves and a mask.  Always use protective gloves as roses have a lot of tiny thorns. When you are spraying you need to wear a protective mask so that you do not inhale the fumes. You will also need

Secateurs – clean and sharp. Clean  these with methylated spirits to prevent the transfer of any disease

Loppers – established roses might have branches too large for secateurs. Remember they must also be sharp and sterile 



A good way of remember how to prune your roses is using DSTV to remind you of the steps:

D stands for: deadwood which must always be removed. 
S:  Sick wood which must be pruned. 
T: Tiny and twiggy branches which must be removed
V: The shape that the plant must resemble. Pruning in a V-shape allows sunlight into the centre of the plant.

You will probably view the acronym DSTV slightly differently from now!

You must also remember to remove any crossing branches.

When you start pruning always select the branch where the new bud is facing to the outside of the bush and not inwards, otherwise you will encourage inward growth and crossing branches.

Always cut above a node or growth point, to prevent die-back.

How to prune your various roses:

Hybrid Tea Roses - Must be pruned to half the original size.

Floribunda Roses - You must take a third off as these roses flower more than tea roses.

Miniature Roses - Must be cut a third off the bush and remove any old woody stems from the centre of the bush.

Groundcover Roses - The easiest way to prune these roses is to clip them with a hedge shears and remove some of the two year old wood.

Standard Roses - Cut back all stem and branches to about 50cm from the crown or bud union and remove older wood and twigs.

Climbing Roses
 - Remove all the ties and pull open the long branches in favour of new branches and then tie the remaining branches onto a support structure. All side stem must be cut off next to the main stems.

After pruning

Once you have completed your pruning, dig in compost and Bounce Back fertiliser around the bushes. You must seal all pruning wounds with Steriseal.



Once completed then you have to spray with Lime Sulphur in order to kill off dormant fungus and pests.

You need:

 -  Steri-seal – to seal off the pruned branches to prevent infection entering the plant

 -  Lime sulphur – to spray on the whole bush to prevent any disease

 -  A spraying can to spray the roses

 -  A watering can

 -  If you prefer not to use a spray (e.g. Lime Sulphur), use KOINOR in a watering can for systemic drenching of the rose to prevent and cure fungal diseases and insect infestations.

What can affect your roses?

The fungal diseases and insects that can attack your rose plant are Powder Mildew, Black spot, Rust. Aphids and beetles also love to attack your roses so make sure you spray them regularly.

It is recommended that this is done twice a month. If you are unsure what is troubling your roses go into your nearest nursery with a sample and one of the horticulturists will assist you.

Just as it is important to protect your roses against disease and insects, it is important to feed them regularly in order to have a healthy display of roses almost year round.

In autumn and winter it is best to feed them 60g’s (a handful) per square metre remembering to spread it out and not put it against the stem of the plant otherwise it will burn.

During summer and spring the best food is Vigarose or Sudden Impact – also using a handful for square metre. Again it is important to water thoroughly after you have fertilised so that the plants aren’t burnt.

A little TLC for your roses in July and the correct feeding and protection will ensure you have a beautiful display of roses in Spring and Summer.

For a step by step guide to rose pruning watch the video below:



For more information, like Stodels on Facebook or visit their website.

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