Pruning Methods and Technical Key Points for Cut Rose

Roses (Rosa spp.) are deciduous or evergreen shrubs of the Rosaceae family, with large, abundant blooms, graceful flower forms, rich colors, and varied fragrances, making them deeply loved by people and one of the four major cut flowers on the international market today.

Roses grow and bloom continuously throughout the year, consuming large amounts of nutrients within the plant. If allowed to grow naturally, old branches will quickly die back. To prevent roses from aging, extend the peak flowering period, and harvest large quantities of high-quality cut flowers, it is essential to regulate them through training and pruning. Through pruning, main branches and flower branches can be developed, tree vigor can be regulated, ventilation and light conditions can be improved, and vigorous growth of the rose plant can be ensured. Pruning work is mainly carried out in the following aspects:

1 Training and Pruning of 1-Year-Old Seedlings

1.1 Maintenance of Main Branches

After the seedlings are planted, to make their root systems well-developed, produce more vigorous branches, and expand the canopy, do not let them bloom first; instead, focus on growing branches. Practical operation: When buds appear on shoots growing directly from the scion, remove the flower buds and all the internodes of the 3-leaflet compound leaves, so that new shoots emerge from the leaf axils below, and select and keep 3-5 thick, strong branches as main branches. The branches selected as main branches should also not be allowed to bloom at their tips; when buds appear, pinch them again, that is, remove the flower buds and all the internodes of the 3-leaflet compound leaves below them, so that the leaf axils in the middle and lower parts of the main branches sprout shoots that become cut flower branches.

1.2 Maintenance and Pruning of Cut Flower Branches

The more robust the cut flower branches, the better their quality. Therefore, emerging lateral buds and lateral buds (flower buds) should be removed in time to ensure robust growth of the flower branches and development of the terminal buds.

2 Pruning of 2-Year-Old and Older Plants

In addition to normal maintenance of cut flower branches, there is also a special pruning method, namely dormant renewal pruning.

2.1 Midsummer Dormancy Pruning

The bending method is generally used. Specific practice: At a height of 50-60 cm above the ground, bend or break the branches, that is, twist and break the xylem, but be careful not to break the phloem, then press the branches toward the ground. This can maximize the number of leaves retained to supply nutrients to the plant, ensuring both the production of high-quality cut flowers in autumn and winter and the emergence of new shoots from the base of the injured branches. These new shoots can serve as renewal main branches or be pruned into flower branches. If dormant pruning is not carried out in summer, due to high temperatures, the flowers produced will be both small and few, with low prices. When the temperature is above 35°C, the plant will also automatically enter a leaf-upright semi-dormant state, resulting in the inability to guarantee both the quality and economic benefits of summer flower production, and also affecting the quality and benefits of flower production in autumn and winter.

2.2 Pruning Before Leaf-Fall Dormancy

In winter, if the greenhouse cannot be heated, a heavy pruning can be carried out before leaf-fall dormancy, also called renewal pruning. Specific practice: Select 3-4 vigorous main branches and cut them back from 20-50 cm above the base, with the cut opening 0.5-1 cm above an outward-growing leaf bud, and remove all other branches, selecting and keeping main branches and flower branches among them. Heavy pruning is generally carried out in mid-to-late December, which can produce early spring flowers at Qingming Festival. At this time, flowers command a relatively high price, and by May Day they enter the full flowering period, which can generate relatively high economic benefits. If heavy pruning is not carried out in winter, the whole plant will be covered with tall and numerous branches, which will waste nutrients, and after the Beginning of Spring the branches and leaves will not be luxuriant, and the flowering amount will also be greatly reduced.

2.3 Pruning to Control the Flowering Period

The harvest date is related to pruning time, variety, temperature, and cutting position, so pruning time and cutting position need to be determined according to variety and temperature. The time required from pruning the flower buds retained for cut flowers to flowering is generally 5-6 weeks in summer, 6-7 weeks in spring and autumn, and 8-10 weeks in winter. In addition, when pruning at the middle of the leaves on a branch, the time from cutting to flowering for newly emerged branches is shorter, and the length and diameter of the cut flower branches produced are the largest.

In addition to pruning during the main periods mentioned above, diseased branches and weak branches should also be removed in time in daily management, rootstock shoots and inward-growing new buds should be removed, and overlapping branches and overly dense branches should be pruned.