How to Cut Tea Roses
- 1). Examine your tea rose for signs of fungal disease. Three common fungal diseases plague tea roses: black spot, rust and powdery mildew. Look for spotted leaves, fungal spores on leaves, streaks on canes, defoliation and disfigured blossoms.
- 2). Dip a pair of bypass shears in a mixture of 70 percent denatured alcohol and 30 percent water in between cuts to prevent spreading the disease. Make a 45-degree angle, downward cut one-third inch above a healthy outward-growing bud.
- 3). Remove any winter or pest damage. Spray off any pests on the roses or remove them with a gloved hand.
- 4). Prune off any canes that are growing outside the designated planting location or extending to the ground. Cut any canes that are growing toward the rose plant.
- 5). Cut blossoms for vases in the morning after the roses have had time to fill up with water. Select rose blossoms that have not fully opened. Make a downward 45-degree angle cut into a cane, giving you plenty of room to trim the rose stem for the vase.
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