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Rosehip pruning is necessary for the crop every year. It is carried out to form the crown and for sanitary purposes. At the same time, in summer and autumn, only heavily overgrown, as well as weakened, damaged and diseased branches are removed. A radical, formative haircut is carried out only in the spring, before the buds begin to swell.
Why do you need to prune rose hips?
Rose hips grow quickly, so pruning and shaping them are mandatory care requirements. Haircut happens:
- sanitary – removal of dried, broken, old and disease-affected branches. It is necessary to prune them, because they only take away water and nutrients, but do not produce fruit and do not decorate the bush;
- formative - thinning the crown, giving it a beautiful appearance. You can trim it to create a trunk. The procedure is necessary when creating a hedge;
- rejuvenating - radical pruning of old rosehip bushes to stimulate the growth of young shoots so that they bloom well and produce a harvest.
It is important to prune both young and mature bushes. In this case, it is necessary to comply with the deadlines - most often it is spring and autumn, but often the branches are cut in the summer months.
When is the best time to prune rose hips?
When pruning rose hips, it is important to have a goal in mind. The shrub can be grown for a good harvest or to decorate the site. In the first case, it is necessary to do regular spring and autumn pruning of the rose hips, and it is better during the period of dormancy rather than active growth.
For decorative purposes, haircuts can be done all year round. At the same time, the main work needs to be done in early spring or late autumn, and in the summer - only adjusting the contours, thinning out the crown and removing diseased, weakened shoots.
Therefore, in the first 2–3 years you can experiment with its appearance without restrictions.
Shaping pruning is necessary to give the shrub a beautiful appearance.
Is it necessary and when to prune rose hips in the fall for winter?
In the fall, rose hips need to be pruned, but only to remove diseased, broken branches. It is not recommended to engage in formative, rejuvenating haircuts, since a weakened plant survives the winter worse. Therefore, it is necessary to remove damaged shoots, but it is not recommended to touch old ones.
If the winter is too frosty, the young branches will die, but the old ones will mostly survive. They are the ones who will begin to grow next year.Autumn pruning is carried out in the first half of October, when all the berries are collected and the leaves turn yellow and begin to fly off.
When to prune in spring
It is advisable to carry out spring pruning at the very beginning of March or even at the end of February, when the buds are still dormant. First, frozen and broken shoots are removed. After this, a bush is formed and the crown is thinned.
Is it possible to prune rose hips in the summer, in July?
In the summer, haircuts are also done. After flowering, you need to do gentle pruning of the rose hips, pinching the tops of overgrown branches. In July, the crown is thinned out and given a beautiful shape, for example, in the form of a hedge. All affected shoots are removed immediately, regardless of the time of year.
What tools and materials are needed for pruning?
To carry out a haircut, you will need pruning shears, loppers or garden shears, as well as gloves. The blades are pre-treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or another antiseptic.
To form a hedge, you have to remove a lot of branches at once, so it’s more convenient to use a trimmer. Haircuts are carried out only in dry weather. During operation, the tool is placed at hand level (maximum to the shoulders) and parallel to the ground. The movements should not be too wide. If you have no experience, it is better to practice on the lawn first.
How to properly trim and shape a rosehip bush
Haircut patterns depend on the purpose, time of year and age of the crop
A more radical option occurs in the spring (formation of a bush, removal of up to 2/3 of the length of all shoots). In the summer you only need to trim the crown and thin it out, and in the fall it is recommended to do a sanitary haircut.
How to prune rose hips in spring
In spring comes the most important stage of cutting.First of all, branches damaged by frost or broken by the wind, under the weight of snow, are removed. Then they begin to form the bush on a trunk, in the form of a ball or hedge. In the first years of life, 2/3 of the length of all branches is removed, then 1/3 each.
How to prune rose hips in summer
In the summer (early July), it is recommended to pinch out the apical growth points and thin out the crown. When forming a hedge, it is important to periodically remove all overgrown branches.
How to prune rose hips in autumn
The scheme for pruning rose hips in the fall is quite simple - in mid-October you need to remove all weakened and damaged branches. There is no need to form a plant at this time - it is better to do this in the spring.
How to form a hedge
One of the classic pruning options is to form a rosehip bush in the form of a hedge. To get a beautiful row, plants are planted as densely as possible, with an interval of 50–60 cm. Further instructions are as follows:
- Before planting, shorten all shoots so that their length is no more than 40 cm (by about a third).
- The next year, in mid-spring, cut off all shoots, leaving no more than 1 m in height.
- Next, trim the hedge annually (usually just below human height) in the spring.
- In the summer, thin out the crown, removing only small shoots that spoil the appearance (heavy pruning during the period of active growth is not recommended).
Branches are tied to them, after which all excess is removed. The result is an attractive, neat row.
A wild rose hedge can not only decorate the area, but also protect it from animals
How to form in the form of a tree on a trunk
Pruning in the form of a trunk allows you to get a beautiful bush with a bare trunk and a compact crown. It is convenient to pick berries from it. In addition, a tree on a trunk decorates any area, especially when planted in rows or in compositions with other plants.
The rules for pruning rose hips to obtain a trunk are as follows (the procedure is carried out annually in the spring):
- In the year of planting, leave a strong young shoot (without lateral branches) and cut it to 50–60 cm.
- The next season, remove the lower side branches to create a bare trunk (trunk).
- Leave a few healthy, strong shoots - they will serve as the frame of the tree.
- In the third season, shorten all overgrown side branches of the rosehip by 1/3 of the length. If the growth is small, it is enough to pinch the top point.
- After 5-6 years of life, the crop can be rejuvenated by cutting it off at the root - new bushes are grown from root shoots.
How to make it in the shape of a ball
Rose hips can also be beautifully trimmed in the form of a spherical bush. The step-by-step instructions are as follows (the procedure is also carried out in the spring):
- The branches are cut so that they leave the bush at the same distance (remove up to half the length).
- The next season, more radical pruning is carried out, removing 2/3 of the length, and all shoots should again be the same.
- In subsequent years the procedure is repeated.
- At the same time, in early spring and late autumn, weakened and frostbitten branches are removed.
- Every 5 years a rejuvenating haircut is performed (in early spring).
Recommendations
When pruning, experienced gardeners recommend following the basic rules:
- Regardless of the type of pruning, you must assume that an adult bush should have 15–20 strong branches left. They should be spaced evenly.
- The lower shoots can be cut off completely, since they do not produce an ovary.
- Each fruit branch lives for 5 years, after which it is better to prune it.
- It is advisable to treat the sections with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or garden varnish. Instead, they can be sprinkled with charcoal or activated carbon powder.
- It is important to periodically remove root shoots, as they actively reproduce and produce new shoots.
- When working with tall specimens, be sure to use a stepladder.
For cutting, you will need a pruner or other tool with a sharp blade.
Conclusion
Pruning rose hips is necessary to obtain a beautiful, healthy bush that produces a stable harvest of healthy berries. Trees on a trunk and hedges fit harmoniously into the design of any site. Even beginners can handle a haircut. The plant recovers quickly, so there is plenty of room for creativity. The main stages of pruning rose hips are clearly shown in the video.
