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Finger Pruning Roses

Finger pruning roses does not require that you have one sharp finger but it will definitely mean you will get green ones!

This simple procedure is often overlooked by gardeners, but by following some basic steps you can improve the quality and quantity of your blooms.
Finger pruning roses for the general gardener.

Finger pruning roses is really just removing unwanted or unnecessary buds and side shoots, either by squeezing them between thumb and forefinger or removing them with small scissors such as nail scissors or very thin bladed (...and narrow bladed!) pruning shears.

Removal is quick and easy because the buds and shoots are very new and thus small and soft. Such easy removal makes this task a breeze. Obviously the best time to do this would be in early spring as the new buds and shoots begin to develop and are easy to control.

Sometimes, however, it is difficult to determine bud sizes and clusters, early in the growth period. You could wait until this growth is well developed but the longer you leave it the more likely you are to leave a scar.

Normally this wouldn't be a problem but if you are considering entering your blooms into a local rose show, no scars should be visible!

This short video should give you an idea of how this works:

The first to be removed should be any side buds that will eventually turn into an inward facing stem. Keep new stems outward and upward and the center of the bush clear of cross growing stems.

The second group for removal concerns the bud clusters. Looking at the buds that will form the blooms, you need to remove some of the smaller, incidental side buds that crowd the others. This will leave more room for the main buds (bud) to develop. Some rose gardeners remove all but the straightest and biggest!

Side Buds To Be Removed!

Finger Pruning Rose Buds

If you have a floribunda or group of blooms with a definite center bud, remove the middle one. The result will be that all the remaining buds will open at the same time...if you do not remove the center bud the middle, larger bloom, will bloom first and will be decaying as all the other, outside blooms mature. This is particularly true with miniatures, floribundas and grandifloras....or if you are planning on entering blooms in a spray at your local rose show.

Another use for this method is for the early removal of rain damaged buds, or those deformed buds that have been attacked by insects. This is often shown as a borer hole or deformed leaves that look a tiny cauliflower.

Show roses definitely need careful finger pruning early on but climbers, English roses or old growth roses rarely do.

Finger pruning roses has to be one of the simplest but most overlooked activities of the rose gardeners day but it does make a difference to the shape of the bush and the quality of the bloom.

Consider finger pruning and put it on your spring time gardening things to do!

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