My mom told me I was pruning my roses ALL wrong

She watched me for 5 minutes then said I was cutting above the wrong node and leaving stubs that would rot. Now I angle my cuts 45 degrees away from the bud and my bushes bloom twice as much. Anyone else get gardening advice from a family member that totally changed your routine?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jessica6d ago

Yeah I gotta admit I used to be in the same boat as josepha32. I'd just cut stuff wherever it looked like it needed trimming and figured plants are tough, they'll bounce back. But my dad came over one summer and watched me trimming some shrubs and straight up told me I was doing it all wrong. He showed me the node thing and how to cut at an angle so water doesn't sit on the wound. I figured he was just being old school and fussy but I tried it on one bush and left the others alone. The one I did his way on came back way fuller and had less dieback than the ones I hacked at. Now I do it every time and yeah it makes a real difference. Sometimes the old timers actually know what they're talking about even if it seems like overthinking.

diana_west277d ago

Oh man, YES. My grandma caught me pruning my hydrangeas one time and she just laughed and laughed. She showed me how to cut right above a fat healthy bud instead of just hacking away. I used to leave these little stumps everywhere and she was like those are just invitations for bugs and rot. Now my bushes are so much fuller and healthier. The angle thing with the 45 degrees is real too, I always do that now so water runs off instead of sitting on the cut. It's crazy how something so simple can make such a huge difference.

josepha327d ago

Gotta respectfully disagree here @diana_west27. I mean yeah the 45 degree cut makes sense in theory but I've been hacking my roses at totally random angles for years and they bloom like crazy every summer. My grandmother used to cut hers straight across and they were the biggest healthiest bushes on the block. Maybe it's just me but I feel like people overthink pruning. The stubs thing though I'll give you that, leaving long stubs does seem to invite problems. But the angle? I'm not convinced it matters that much as long as you're cutting clean.