How to pinch the top of roses
Today, I will introduce some knowledge about roses, specifically how to pinch the top of roses. Next, the editor will introduce this topic to netizens.
In this article, we will discuss how to pinch the top of roses. Generally, pinching the top of roses is done to dwarf the plant, control the blooming period, and encourage more suckers. In the actual process of rose maintenance, pinching the top is very necessary. Of course, it is not a must to do so. Pinching is simply to make the rose grow more in line with our expectations.
The method of pinching the top of roses is simple:
When the suckers grow to 15-30 centimeters, you can pinch the top (either by hand or with scissors). The height varies by variety. Generally, when the plant has four or five unfolded leaves, you can pinch the top (remove the tender tip, leaving four or five leaves). After pinching, two branches usually grow from the top, and when they have four or five unfolded leaves, continue pinching to make four branches. The number of times to pinch depends on your desired plant shape or expected blooming period. HT usually two to three times, and floribundas at least once.
Sometimes, we encounter a situation where a rose sucker has grown very long. The treatment method is the same as before, leaving four or five leaves (counting from the bottom upwards) and cutting off the top.
If the top of a floribunda rose has already differentiated into a broom shape, cut off the extra branches, leaving only two, and then shorten them. The plant shape may not look good, but it can be cut more drastically in winter.
If it is an HT and you want to see large flowers in autumn, you need to pinch the top two to three times and remove all side buds except the top one, leaving only one branch. This way, the flowers will be large. If you don't remove the side buds, the branches will be numerous and the flowers small. This depends on personal preference whether to remove the side buds or not.
Besides summer suckers, pinching can also be done during the first spring bloom, which will result in more flowers. For tall varieties with strong growth, branches other than suckers can also be continuously pinched.
This pinching mainly targets shrub roses, especially hybrid tea (HT) and floribundas (F). For semi-shrub roses, if they are grown as dwarf shrubs on a balcony, they need to be continuously pinched; if grown as vines, they should be left long. Climbing roses do not need to be pinched; the suckers are the flowering branches for the next year and should be left long. Miniature roses generally do not need to be pinched, but large-flowered miniature roses with strong growth can also produce suckers, which can be pinched to dwarf the plant shape.
Whether you can see flower buds or not doesn't matter. Buds start to grow early, and even though you can't see them, they are there when you peel them open. Early pinching saves nutrients.
The above content is summarized based on online materials and personal experience, with images from the internet. Flower cultivation is an empirical science, and the above statements are not absolute truths. Flower enthusiasts should apply these principles flexibly based on practice, use your brain, and avoid copying blindly.
The specific introduction to how to pinch the top of roses (with pictures) mentioned above is hoped to bring some floral knowledge to flower enthusiasts.