Let Ludwig show you how to cut roses. It is easy!
One of the important reasons roses are planted in the first place is to cut blooms for the vase.
Hybrid Tea roses are the type that produce the prized long stemmed, single blooms of a classical rose shape.
Nonetheless any rose type can be picked for the vase.
By regularly cutting blooms, the bushes are stimulated to re-sprout new stems and they are kept neat.
The time of day the blooms are picked is irrelevant.
The earliest cutting stage is when the heart of the rose swirl just starts unfolding.
If the bud is picked at too tight a stage, when the sepals are still facing up, the bloom won’t open in the vase but rather droop.
Full petalled blooms are best cut when at least the outer petals have unfolded or when they are at their most beautiful stage.
Picking the blooms when they are more open means one can admire them on the bush for longer and then extend their freshness by cutting them and keeping them in the vase - out of the sun, wind and rain.
Uncertainty often arises as to where to cut.
One needs not be concerned about cutting above a three, five or seven pinnate leaf at all.
The rule of thumb is to simply cut a bloom halfway down the stem.
It is crucial that enough leaves stay on the remaining stem once you have picked the bloom.
Cutting further down, leaving two or three leaves will delay sprouting for the next flush. The eyes in the lower leaf axles are dormant and it takes longer for them to swell and sprout.
When two or three flowering stems are close to each other, one of them may be cut off at the base.
A straight, 90 degree cut is preferred to a slanted cut. The exposed wound is smaller and seals quicker.
It should be placed just above where the stem meets another leaf.
Here you can see how a new stem has sprouted after having picked a bloom.
There is no need to seal the cuts on the bush.
Putting the cut roses in a bucket of water straightaway is advisable. It prevents air being sucked in by the stem, which in turn restricts water uptake later on and decreases vase life.
Keep the bucket in the darkest, coolest place of the house for at least an hour. With no sunlight the photosynthesis in the leaves shuts down. The blooms will now be saturated with water and may be taken out of the bucket They will show no signs of wilting, so that the lower leaves can be stripped and the stems prepared for arranging.
Adding Chrysal flower food keeps the water clear for longer in the vase and provides food for the further development and opening of the bloom. Use room temperature water from the tap. A table spoon of vinegar and of sugar is a home recipe.
The lasting quality of blooms is also determined by the firmness or thickness of the petals. The petals of highly perfumed blooms are soft and thin and don’t last as long.
Make someone happy, give them a cut rose from your garden!
