How to Prune a Mini Rose Bush
Pruning your mini rose bush is necessary to shape the bush and keep it healthy. Pruning encourages new growth and focuses more of the plants energy into more and larger blooms. Severe pruning may result in fewer, but larger, flowers. Mini roses can be pruned with a sharp pair of pruning shears or garden scissors. Keep the cuts clean and sharp to avoid damaging the plant in the process.
Prune mini roses in early spring, as soon as the leaf buds appear.
Locate a leaf bud where you desire to cut. Choose a bud pointed toward the outside of the plant, encouraging outward growth. Always cut about 1/4 inch above the bud at a 45-degree angle away from the bud.
- Pruning your mini rose bush is necessary to shape the bush and keep it healthy.
Remove dead wood and broken, damaged or diseased canes. Canes that show unusual spots or coloring might be diseased and should be removed.
Prune away thin, weak canes and any canes that intersect or rub against another cane.
Remove suckers that grow beneath the rose from the root stock. Most mini roses are grown on their own root stock and will not produce suckers, so this may not be necessary.
Trim away about 1/3 to 1/2 of the growth of the remaining canes, shaping the mini rose into the desired growth pattern.
Remove any dried leaves or debris from the interior of the rose or on the ground below the plant. Apply a fresh layer of finely shredded organic mulch around the base of the rose.
- Remove dead wood and broken, damaged or diseased canes.
- Remove any dried leaves or debris from the interior of the rose or on the ground below the plant.
Apply a dormant pesticide or fungicide spray immediately after pruning if your area is prone to fungus and disease problems.
Wait about 3 to 4 weeks after pruning before feeding your mini roses. Apply a balanced rose food formula around the base of the plant, and water the roses thoroughly.
Remove dead blooms throughout the summer. Removing dead blooms encourages the bush to continue blooming. Blooms left on the tree will form rose hips.
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References
- Miniature Roses , Chronicle Books, Rayford Clayton, and Saxon Holt, 1998
- Hort Chat: Gardeners Supply Plant Care & Gardening Advice: Miniature Roses
Writer Bio
Diane Watkins has been writing since 1984, with experience in newspaper, newsletter and Web content. She writes two electronic newsletters and has a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Clemson University. She has taken graduate courses in biochemistry and education.
