When and how best to prune roses in the fall, rules for preparing for winter

Royal flowers are considered the most striking decoration of any garden. One of the important points in caring for them is pruning. But many people don’t know when to prune roses in the fall, before the onset of frost. In order to enjoy lush flowering in each new season, this process must be a mandatory procedure. Autumn pruning is the key to plant health.

Why is pruning needed?

Ensuring a long and healthy life for a plant is the goal of every gardener. If in the spring pruning is needed to form a bush, then in the fall this process makes the bush stronger and prolongs its youth.

It is especially important in cool regions to winterize plants, otherwise they will not survive the winter. Many varieties cannot go into dormancy on their own. When the temperature drops, they fall asleep, and when the temperature rises a little, the movement of sap resumes, which forms cracks filled with ice on the branches and roots.

In addition, bush pruning is performed for the following purposes:

• the bush begins to grow faster;
• the development of strong young shoots is stimulated;
• a large number of strong buds appear;
• the risk of contracting diseases is reduced;
• The rhizome develops better;
• It is convenient to prepare a pruned bush for winter;
• nutrients accumulate.

Those roses that are left without pruning are more at risk of freezing. And shoots left for the winter successfully rot.

Timing of the procedure

The timing of pruning royal flowers mainly depends on the weather and climatic characteristics of the region. Many gardeners recommend starting the process between late October and mid-November. The exact dates can be checked using the lunar calendar. A favorable day is considered to be the day on the waning moon.

The optimal weather temperature is a stable minus 3-5 degrees. We need to make sure that no more warming is expected.

Required Tools

The first thing we recommend you pay attention to is purchasing special gloves. Ordinary rubber ones are not suitable, as the spikes will easily puncture them and injure your hands.Therefore, you need to use thick gloves with a rubberized part.

When pruning a plant, you cannot do without garden pruners. They are convenient for removing thin branches, shoots, and faded buds. When purchasing a tool, you need to choose one that will fit comfortably on your hand. In addition, its blade should not be thin so that thick branches cannot break it.

The next important tool is a long-handled pruner. It is quite easy for them to reach long branches that cannot be reached with their hands. There are different versions of such a tool. Many pruners are sold with foam rubber on the handles to make them comfortable to hold. This tool is not suitable for pruning roses, as thorns will cling to the handles. It is recommended to choose pruning shears with plastic linings.

A folding saw works well for cutting the thickest branches easily. It should have anti-corrosion treatment to avoid rust.

All tools must meet the relevant requirements:

• light and comfortable in the hand;
• the blade must be sharp enough, otherwise it can injure the branches;
• the blades at the end should be narrowed to make it easy to reach hard-to-reach branches;
• the handle should not slip.

It is advisable to choose brightly colored tools so that they can be easily and quickly found in the grass.

Before pruning, it is recommended to lubricate the tools with manganese solution or garden varnish. This must be done in order not to infect the rose with various infections.

How to properly prune for the winter?

To prune roses correctly for the winter, gardeners need to adhere to a certain algorithm of actions. All varieties of roses have their own pruning characteristics. Important: on all varieties of roses, the cut is made a centimeter above the outer bud, at an angle of 45 degrees.

There are several ways to trim plants:

• short, when two dormant buds remain;
• medium, the plant is shortened by half, leaving 30 centimeters of shoots;
• long, when tall shoots remain, slightly shortened;
• gentle, in which only the top of the shoots is cut off.

There is no need for autumn pruning ground cover roses. They remove diseased, broken and decorative shoots.

Standard roses

In such plants, the grafted part is located high from the ground. This means special pruning is needed in preparation for winter. The process is based on the characteristics of the grafted plant, where the removal of weak and unnecessary shoots allows the bush to retain strength for further active growth. Since standard roses are overly susceptible to cold, they need good frost protection.

climbing roses

In autumn, climbing roses are not pruned much, since it is necessary to preserve the entire length of the branches, on which luxurious inflorescences will bloom in the future growing season.

First of all, pest-affected, damaged and immature branches are removed. It is also important to clear the plant of unproductive shoots that clog the bush. Young shoots are shortened to the old tree trunk. After the procedure, all inflorescences and leaves are removed.

Pruning hybrid tea roses

Plants of the hybrid tea variety winter well. Pruning is necessary so that they can easily withstand the cold and new and strong flowering branches appear. It is recommended to prune the climbing rose moderately - remove the branches by half. This allows for another pruning in the spring to remove frost-damaged shoots.

When preparing the plant for winter, young shoots are not removed. Hybrid tea roses produce buds first on old branches, and then young ones bloom.

Pruning Floribunda roses

Floribunda is one of the roses that are resistant to winter weather. To ensure luxurious flowering in the summer, in mid-autumn the bush is pruned 50 centimeters from the ground. You can trim the plant short, then next year a low bush will grow, with evenly strewn, but luxurious buds.

If the gardener wants to leave the bush tall, very little is trimmed. In these roses, the upper part of the bush is most susceptible to flowering.

Polyantha roses

Pruning of these plants is limited to removing damaged and immature branches. The ideal option would be to leave about 8 main, healthiest branches. The shoots inside the bush are trimmed to form a spherical shape. 6-7 buds are left on small branches. Low-growing polyanthus roses They branch heavily, so they are pruned low. You only need to leave a couple of buds on each branch.

Preparing for shelter

Safely hiding roses from frost is the main goal of preparing for winter. This should be taken seriously as the survival of plants depends on the process.

Roses need feeding before winter. For this purpose, a complex fertilizer is suitable, which will saturate the roots of the plants and support the entire cold period. It should include:

• phosphorus;
• calcium;
• monopotassium phosphate;
• superphosphate;
• potassium sulfate;
• boric acid.

You can add ash.

Then all the leaves under the plant are cleaned and burned to kill the pests located there. To prevent fungal infections, plants are treated with copper or iron sulfate. And with the first frosts you should start insulating.

When to start loosening the soil?

Already at the beginning of autumn you can start preparing roses for winter.In mid-September, the leaves on the lower part of the bush are removed and the plant is earthed up. Loosening the soil is carried out to a height of 30 centimeters.

For hilling, take nutritious dry soil mixed with sand. You cannot rake the soil next to the bush, so as not to accidentally expose the roots. You cannot add peat mixture to the soil, otherwise on frosty days it will turn into sharp large stones that can damage the bark of the plant.

Insulating the roots by loosening will prevent damage and cracks that occur under the influence of severe frost.

How and how to cover roses for the winter?

High-quality material is selected to cover roses. It must meet the requirements that allow the plant to create an ideal microclimate. To protect against evaporation when the frosts begin to subside and prolonged thaws begin, the coating should not be in close contact with the bush. In addition, it must be:

• dense;
• lasting;
• vapor permeable.

These qualities will allow oxygen to flow freely and the plant will not suffocate.

Important: it is better to hide a rose for the winter later than prematurely.

You can cover the plant using different schemes and methods:

• air, when a house is made from a frame, stretched with polyethylene, and covered with soil;
• shield, when the branches are tied in a bunch, bent to the ground, and polyethylene or agrofibre is stretched on top;
• Place jute bags on top of the plant;
• wrap it in cardboard.

Standard roses that grow in tubs are taken to a cold basement.

Features of preparing flowers for winter in different regions of Russia

Each region has its own nuances when preparing roses for winter. The meaning is an open or closed place, sunny or shady.

The best options are considered to be:

• sheltering roses for the winter in the Urals - from the first days to mid-October;
• the central European part and the Moscow region - from the 20th of October to the 10th of November;
• southern stripes - from the 20th to the 30th of November;
• Siberia - early November.

In the Moscow region, from October 15, roses enter a dormant state, so you can start the procedure after this date. In very cold areas, for example in the Tyumen region, it is recommended to plant roses in tubs and hide them in the cellar for the winter.

Caring for roses is an important component for the beauty of every garden plot. The characteristics of plant varieties and the natural and climatic conditions of the regions should be taken into account. Properly performed procedures ensure the health of beautifully flowering shrub plants.