How to prune ground-planted roses in winter?

With its abundant flowers, long flowering period and beautiful flower posture, roses are very suitable for planting on balconies or in courtyards, whether as potted plants or planted in the ground. The flowering period of roses covers spring, summer and autumn. As the temperature drops in winter, roses gradually enter a dormant period. At this time, "winter pruning and garden cleaning" is necessary. Let’s learn how to prune ground-planted roses during the winter.

1. Why do we need to prune and clean the rose garden in winter?

Roses have lush branches and leaves, and are prone to dead branches and leaves in autumn and winter, which not only affects their appearance but may also become a hiding place for pests and diseases. Therefore, pruning and cleaning during the rose's dormant period can help improve the plant shape, eliminate potential diseases and pests, and ensure that the plants are healthier, the branches are more luxuriant, and the flowers are more abundant in the coming year.

2. Specific steps for winter rose pruning and garden cleaning

1. Clean up the fallen leaves

The leaves of seasonal roses will turn yellow and fall off due to the drop in temperature. After most of the leaves have fallen off, there may still be some remaining leaves on the plant. These remaining leaves are useless except for affecting the appearance and wasting nutrients, so they should all be removed. If the roses in the south are still in the growing season, there is no need to forcibly pick the leaves.

The residual leaves on the soil surface should not be left as fertilizer , as they may breed bacteria and pests during the rotting process and should be cleaned up.

2. Pruning and shaping

After cleaning up the dead leaves, pruning and shaping are carried out, which is called "winter pruning". Winter pruning aims to shape the plant, reduce nutrient consumption, and promote stronger branches, more branches, and more concentrated flowering in the coming year. Improper winter pruning may result in sap flow or reduced flowering.

The time for winter pruning is usually around the Great Cold. Pruning too early may cause the new shoots to waste nutrients and be susceptible to freezing, while pruning too late may cut off the flower buds and affect flowering next year. If the southern rose is still in bloom, only regular post-flowering pruning is required.

The principle of pruning is to remove dry, thin, overgrown, crossed and other useless branches, retain high-quality branches, and distribute them evenly. Different types of roses have different pruning points:

Miniature roses: lightly prune useless branches and thin out high-quality branches slightly.

Shrub roses: cut off useless branches and trim the high-quality branches to the height you prefer.

Climbing roses: remove useless branches, and use horizontal or coiled methods to break the apical dominance of high-quality branches and promote branching.

3. Spraying to sterilize

In addition to cleaning and pruning, spraying pesticides is also an important part of garden cleaning to eliminate potential pests and diseases. The drug of choice is lime sulfur, which is highly effective in killing bacteria and insect eggs. Before spraying, choose at least two days of sunny and warm weather, and the temperature must be above 0℃.

When spraying, the rose plants, potting soil, flower pots, ground, etc. must be fully covered. It is recommended to spray lime sulfur at least three times: once after leaf picking, once after winter pruning, and once after the Spring Festival for thorough prevention. The remaining lime sulfur mixture should be kept well and can also be used when diseases such as powdery white and black spots appear during the growing period.

In general, winter pruning and garden cleaning of roses in winter can help reduce pests and diseases in the coming year, promote plant health, and increase flowering.