Deadheading Roses
The Deadheading Roses Controversy
There are several schools of thought when it comes to deadheading roses. Most of the theories have something going for them and you're free to choose whichever method seems to make the best sense. The argument as to whether to prune back to the first set of 5 leaves beneath the bloom or the first set of 3 leaves beneath the bloom sometimes seems a bit like the argument as to whether a roll of toilet paper should be mounted such that the paper rolls down from the front of the roll or down from the back of the roll. If you read enough articles on how to prune roses, you'll find the 5-leaves versus the 3-leaves articles are roughly the same in number.
The Reasons For Deadheading Roses - The solution to this dilemma, if there is one, is to go back to the basics and ask what the purpose of deadheading roses is anyway. There are a couple of reasons for doing so, three good reasons in fact. The first reason is one of appearance. A rose garden, or a single plant for that matter, loses some of its appeal when blossoms are faded, discolored, have lost half of their petals, or nothing is left but the rose hip. Then there's the matter of rose petals lying on the ground, providing an excellent breeding ground for insects, bacteria, or fungus. Fresh petals spread on the ground are one thing, but after 24 hours or so they become unattractive.
The second reason for deadheading roses is if you don't, the rose will do what it intended to do when it first produced a blossom. It will produce fruit and seeds. Most any plant puts a great deal of energy into producing seeds, which means energy is taken away from producing new blossoms. That's all right in plants that bloom only once during the season, but we want our roses to bloom all summer if possible, and if we don't deadhead them that's unlikely to happen.
The third reason is actually tied to the first, except appearance isn't the issue but disease is. Rose bushes that are not deadheaded become weaker and are more susceptible to disease, plus the fact that they will very likely produce less profusely the following year.
From 5 To 3 To 0 - So, now we're back to 3 leaves versus 5 leaves. How about zero leaves? Zero leaves simply means cutting of the rose just below the bloom. Why isn't this method done more often? Probably because the resulting stem will die back an inch or so once the flower is removed, which some view as being unattractive. If the stem is going to die back, why not cut it off to begin with?
Actually the condition of the stem is not the issue. It's the foliage. The more foliage you leave on the plant, the healthier and stronger the plant is going to be. The healthier and stronger the plant is, the more blooms it will produce. If you cut back to 5 leaves, there is less foliage left and it becomes harder for the rose bush to produce the energy to produce new blooms. And the further back you cut the stems, the longer it will take new blooms to form.
Think Foliage - A change in mind set may be in order here. In the process of deadheading roses we tend to think in terms of the blossoms, or at least in terms of getting rid of the spent ones. Why not think about the foliage instead, and focus on trying to preserve as much foliage as possible? After all, it's the foliage that allows a rose bush to bloom in the first place, plus the fact that an attractive rose bush is often one that has plenty of foliage along with the blossoms. One more thing to consider when deadheading roses. The more foliage you leave on the plant, the stronger the plant will be when it comes to surviving the winter months.