- 1). Wait until after your roses have completed the first season of bloom before cutting. Michigan State University Extension recommends cutting very short stems if you decide to cut during the plant's first season.
- 2). Gather the appropriate cutting tools. You will need rose gardening gloves or leather gloves for protection from thorns and bypass hand shears or pruning shears. Bypass tools make a cleaner cut than tools with anvil heads, which tend to cause plant damage. Sharpened tools make cleaner cuts. Take with you a container with warm water and floral preservative in which to place the cut flowers.
- 3). Cut the roses in the late afternoon. Select roses that are not fully open to ensure that your roses stay fresh longer. A good time to cut is when the two outer petals unfold. Once cut, the flower continues to open and lasts longer than if cut when fully open.
- 4). Identify the place low on a one-bloom stem where the leaves have five leaflets. The leaves closer to the bloom have three or one leaflet.
- 5). Cut the stem using pruning shears about 1/4 inch above the first leaf with five leaflets. The bud located at the base of the leaf with five leaflets is now dominant and with proper care will develop into a flower-bearing stem. Be careful to cut as closely as possible to the 1/4-inch measurement to avoid problems with the plant's growth or budding.
- 6). Remove most of the leaves from the stem that will be in the water once the roses are placed in a vase. You should have two leaves left between the cut you made and the main stem of the plant.
- 7). Hold the ends of the stems under water and cut again to remove about 1 inch off the stem. Cutting the ends under water removes the air bubble caused by cutting the stem in the air.
- 8). Place the roses in a container with warm water and a floral preservative and cut the stem ends under water again as you transfer the flowers to a vase.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -