Does anyone know how to care for roses?

Question

My husband bought roses for our garden. He told me after the roses bloomed to cut them in an angle and they'll grow back.
Is that true?

Answer 1

Hi, new to roses, huh? Well, don't worry because roses are one of the easiest plants to learn on. It is true that you should prune your roses. pruning your roses will promote more growth and more blooms.
General pruning: After your blooms are spent then use a sharp pair of pruners to cut the cane at an angle like this (/) just above a 5 leaf set that is pointing outward. You want a set that points outward because that is the direction a new cane and buds will form. Do this with all canes that have a spent bloom. This is done several times during the growing season to keep the bush blooming.

Autumn pruning: This occurs after the last frost or anytime after that until the last freeze. During this time your rose is dormant and you can cut back each cane to 2-3ft. I like to cut the cane at an angle just above a node that is pointing outward. (a node look like a slightly red, slightly pointy bump on the cane) A new cane will form from that node. Pruning like this during dormancy will produce a bigger and healthier bush for next season.

Good luck

Answer 2

Some roses will self clean by dropping spent flowers others need dead heading. You can snap the finished blossoms out grooming the plants as the flowers fade. I like to go through and do it mostly by hand as each blossoms has a point where it joins the stem that can be snapped. If you don't like the thorns use pruning secateurs for a clean cut. The choice of which spot to deadhead at is influenced by what shape you want the bush to take, and which direction you want a particular cane to grow. Usually, you will want to cut the stem at a 45-degree angle just above an outward-facing leaf. Note the leaf buds grow in a spiral up the stem so you can always find a bud in the direction you wish the cane to grow. Make sure the high side of the cut is the side the leaf set is on.
If the bush is new cut as little as possible but once established prune down as needed for not all shrubs support the weight of late season growth without the canes being shortened.
Leave the last flowers in September to set hips so the plant will go into dormancy rather than strive for more flowers.

For good flower a rose needs to be well fed to support the heavy demand on the plant the repeat bloom makes. A near neutral pH ensures the greatest number of micronutrients is released from the soil. Roses in particular like pH 6.0- 7.0.
Roses appreciate lots of water. Water generously, at least 1 inch/week, preferably 2 inches/week during any hot periods in the growing season. Water every 3-7 days during the summer when needed depending on temperatures and your soil type. Each bush needs about 4-5 gallons/week during the hot summer. Mulching helps cool the soil and slows evaporation rates preserving water but only if it is not compressed into the soil beneath it.
Fertilize three times a year; Valentine's Day, Memorial Day & Labor Day make it easy to remember.

Answer 3

Hey! Ok, so pruning roses can be a fairly complicated assignment, but I think I can generalize it so this doesn't turn in to a huge, drawn-out paragraph.

Basically, you want to prune the flowers once they begin to fade. Why? Because once the flower is pollinated, a seed (known as a "hip" on roses) will soon develop. All plants create a seed. They are trying to continue the species through reproduction.

Now, when you prevent the plant from creating a seed, the plant really wants to try again to reproduce, so here comes more flowers. When you physically cut off those flowers, you are practicing the art of pruning known as, "dead heading".

So, with the genus, Rosa, you can pretty much prune correctly by cutting the spent bloom back to the very first set of 5 (or 7) leaves (rose leaves are actually known as "leaflets" because they are comprised of smaller leaves). You'll see when you look at the stems.

Make sure your rose is adequately hydrated before you make your cuts so as to prevent any pruning burns. Also, don't prune that baby in the fall. It needs some time to harden off for the winter and new, tender growth will surely be killed.

Hope this helps!

Oh, as for the cut angle, you can play it safe by making a 45 degree cut just above that first set of leaflets. Make sure it's a clean cut and that you clean your pruners with isopropyl alcohol between rose bushes so as to prevent disease tranmission.

Answer 4

Depends on:

Is it a shrub rose bush? Then it will bloom all year
Did you feed it bone meal? Then it may bloom again.
It is a young cutting, or an established plant?

If not, you may just plant it this year, give it some good bone meal so it can establish some strong roots and next spring they should put on a show for you