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Pruning Roses Made Easy: A Step-by-Step Guide

By stacy ling

Gardening Tips & Tricks

Discover how to prune roses easily with this step-by-step guide. Learn tips and techniques to keep your roses healthy and blooming beautifully.

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Clean Your Tools Start with clean, sharp tools to  prevent the spread of disease. A quick wipe with rubbing alcohol or a  bleach solution does the trick. I like to carry around Clorox Wipes to  clean my pruners between plants as I go.

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Remove Dead or Diseased Wood Look for canes that are discolored, withered, or damaged. Cut these out at their base.

Thin Out the Center To promote good air circulation,  remove any branches that are growing inward towards the center of the  bush. Your goal is to open space in the middle so it resembles a basket.

Remove Thin or Weak Growth If canes are thinner than a pencil, prune them off.

Cut Back Remaining Canes Reduce the height of the  remaining canes. A good rule of thumb is to cut back about one-third to  one-half of the previous year’s growth. Make your cuts at a 45-degree  angle, about 1/4 inch above an outward-facing bud. This encourages the  new growth to open up and outwards.

Clear the Base Remove any suckers growing from the base of the plant or below the graft union. These can drain energy from the main plant.

Cleanup Collect and dispose of all pruned material. This helps prevent any diseases from spreading.

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Follow along to learn more about pruning roses.

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