Recently, a lot of florists have asked Blue Demon about topping roses, today we will talk about this topic in detail and hope to provide you with some practical advice.
The significance of topping roses
Before discussing topping roses, we first need to understand the purpose of topping, and then determine whether your roses need to be topped.
There are three main purposes for topping roses:
1. To control the shape of the plant
Some rose varieties grow very vigorously, especially those with thick shoots. If left unchecked, they can grow up to half a meter or even a meter tall. These shoots consume a lot of nutrients, causing other new shoots to grow slowly and ultimately unbalancing the plant. Therefore, by topping, you can control the growth height of roses and keep the shape of the plant beautiful.
2. Promote branching
After topping, the rose branches will not continue to grow upward, but will grow new branches in the leaf axils. This will not only increase the number of branches, but also make the rose plant fuller.
3. Promote seedling growth
If you are growing rose seedlings, topping can help control flowering, conserve nutrients, and allow the seedlings to concentrate on branching, thus forming a fuller plant quickly.
What kind of rose branches need to be topped?
Knowing the purpose of topping allows us to be flexible on a case-by-case basis. Here are a few situations that require topping:
1. Roses with overgrown shoots
For shrub roses, if the shoots grow too vigorously, it is easy to lead to an imbalance in the shape of the plant, or even a “one-branch” situation. Therefore, when the shoots grow too fast and significantly outgrow other branches, they should be topped in order to keep the plant in balance.
Not only shoots, but also new branches on old branches can grow too fast. If you want the plant to look beautiful and bloom neatly, you can choose to top it; if you are more casual, you can also wait until it blooms before pruning.
2. Rose seedlings
For newly grafted rose seedlings, although the new shoots grow vigorously, the number of branches is small. When the new shoots grow to about 10 cm, they can be topped to promote the growth of more branches. Usually after three toppings, the plant becomes very full and can reach the level of a large 2-gallon seedling within six months.
For cuttings that have survived or seedlings under 1 gallon, although they can bloom, flowering consumes a lot of nutrients and interferes with subsequent growth. Therefore, it is a good idea to pinch off the blooms as soon as they appear on the new shoots, which is also a form of topping. Of course, if you want to enjoy the flowers more, you can also let it bloom, just pay attention to more fertilizer.
Summarize
Regarding topping roses, if you are a novice, it is recommended that you do not rush to top the roses first, but make sure the plant grows healthily first. Newbie florists can choose to buy large seedlings directly, as they have developed root systems and are easier to care for.