|
|
|
Testimonials
"Your
ebook is worth much more than I paid. We're
loving it. The very best"
--
Matt White
Vancouver, BC
"Thank
you for your book. I wish that I had read this book
when I
first started my rose garden. I highly
recommend your
book to anyone who loves roses."
--
Sandy Danner
Belmont, VA
|
|
It's Time to Wake-up Your Roses
by Steve Knapp
Finally,
Spring is here and it's time for most of us to wake-up our rose
gardens! One of the first things we all need to do is prune back any
dead or damaged branches. This will
allow your roses to spen all of their energy to produce new healthy
growth - rather than trying to heal the damaged or deseased
areas.
I've met a lot of people who are unsure of how much to prune, and are
worried that they may cut-back too much. It's really pretty
simple if you just remeber the entire process is meant to
allow your bushes to spend as much energy as possible to produce
healthy new growth.
Since I am the type of person who prefers a checklist to a long
explaination, here's my concise guide to pruning roses:
- Always
use a sharp pair of shears.
- Complete
every cut on the first try
- Make
all of your cuts at a 45 degree angle.
- Cut
away all of the dead wood - cut 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch above buds.
- Cut
away any canes that are broken or damaged.
- Cut
back any buds growing toward the middle of the bush
- Cut
out any suckers that might be coming up from the ground.
- Seal
Larger cuts (1/4 inch or more) with white wood glue
- Deadhead
regularly - Remove any spent blossoms as soon as possible
For
those who like to know why, here's a bit more of an explaination...
Using dull shears or making incomplete cuts can cause damage which at
the very least will require more of the bushes energy to repair - at
worse, they invite desease and insects. When you
do "mess up" on a thick cut, try to make a new cut slightly below the
damaged area whenever possible - use a larger
set of shears if needed.
Angled cuts are less likey to crush, or otherwise damage, the
cane. They also prevent water from collecting on the top
which can also contribute to desease or infestation.
Roses always try to look their best. This means that they
will try to repair or heal and dead or damaged sections. By
removing these areas, your roses can put all of their energy where
you want it ... new growth and big beautiful blossoms. In
addition, by cutting just above the buds, once
the cut has been seal by the bushes own natural process, nutrients will
be automatically directed to the nearest healthy growth.
In addition to wasting your roses nutrients and energy, suckers (new
growth coming up out of the ground) can also attract insects and
desease. It is for these reasons that you
should do your best to remove all suckers as soon as possible.
Removing all of the growth towards the center of the bush will not only
encourage growth in the direction you want, buy also provides extra
energy and nutrients to help produce larger and
more colorful blooms.
Learn The Rest of My
Simple Rose Care Secrets
|
