Pruning roses: treatments for effective healing and flowering

Pruning a rosebush is a meticulous and crucial operation for the future of the plant. It is important to choose the right moment and to make each cut correctly, because the quality of the flowers depends on this, both in number and size, in vigour and vitality.

When pruning the rose, the first key decision is when. Although it all depends on the climate and the variety, there is one very important pruning that usually takes place towards the end of winter, just when the lowest temperatures have passed and the risk of frost, and therefore the risk of fungus and disease, is lower. 

Winter pruning prepares the rose bush for flowering: dead wood is removed and space is made for healthy branches to grow. In other words, winter pruning of roses is used to time the development of new shoots and stems and, in particular, to meet the trade forecasts of export markets at key times such as Valentine’s Day.

In the case of Colombia, the world’s second largest flower exporter, the country sells more than 700 million stems abroad for Valentine’s Day, according to Asocolflores, the Colombian Flower Exporters Association. Almost 80 per cent go to the United States. 

The magnitude of this turnover helps to understand the importance of rose pruning in producing stems of optimum quality that are induced to flower and are not vegetatively blind.

In addition to the importance of pruning, whether in winter or at the end of summer (if pruning is carried out), it is essential to consider the processes that take place in the plant after pruning. 

Roses respond to pruning by producing new shoots in a movement that alters the plant’s energy distribution. In other words, the plant has to redistribute its resources to generate new shoots and the growth of new tissues, a process that requires an extraordinary energetic effort.

Bryosei: effective healing and flowering

At this point, Seipasa recommends the use of Bryosei, a biostimulant that works by healing the wounds of the tissues damaged by pruning and stimulating germination and vegetative development.

Bryosei provides high penetration and contributes to faster sap flow within the vascular bundles, resulting in more balanced vegetative development between the aerial and root parts. The result is a much more effective sprouting, with higher quality stems that are much more suitable for export.

Graphs 1 and 2 show the behaviour of bud length and diameter by treatment. They correspond to the efficacy trial carried out in Colombia on roses of the Deep Purple variety, comparing the exclusive Bryosei treatment (Bryosei alone) with its application in the farm rotation (Bryosei + farm rotation) and a farm control (control) after 7 applications. 

The results show a significant difference in bud length and diameter in the Bryosei treated plots compared to the control. There is also evidence of an increased effect when the product is used in synergy with farm rotation, with a positive effect on germination and crop quality.

Graph 1.  Basal bud length behaviour by treatment. Average.

Graph 2.  Behaviour of basal bud diameter by treatment. Average.

Another major benefit of using Bryosei after rose pruning is the product’s ability to activate the plant’s natural defence system, preventing the entry of fungi and diseases through the wounds and cuts exposed after pruning.

In short, the rosebush is a rustic plant that does not require excessive care to keep it in optimum condition. However, we must pay close attention to pruning in order to ensure proper flowering. It is also necessary to monitor the state of the plant and apply the appropriate treatments to guarantee the health and strength of the rose bush to face the key processes in its development.