Spain is a country washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean; The Mediterranean, we could say that it is the “son” of this ocean, since it exists thanks to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Atlantic joins the Balearic archipelago, North Africa, and further afield. east, Italy, Greece, etc. In addition to this, on the surface of the land, there are mountains, some very high such as Monte Perdido (3355m, Pyrenees), or Teide (3718m, Canary Islands), but also flat areas, such as the Central Plateau of the peninsula or the coast.
As if that were not enough, the climate is not the same everywhere. Even within the same province, there may be snowfall every winter in the north, but not one in the south. That is why it is at least interesting to ask when roses are pruned in Spainsince the answer may surprise you.
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In general, when are roses pruned?
Before answering this, you should know that two types of pruning are practiced on the rosebush: rejuvenation, and flower pruning. Well, the first is to prune the already developed branches, and the other is simply to remove the flowers when they fade. That said, in general what we recommend and what is also advised in gardening books is carry out the rejuvenation pruning in winter, and the other when the flowers reach the end of their life.
But that is, as I said, the general rule. Does this rule have to be followed in Spain or does it change anything? In which month are the roses pruned and for what purpose is this pruning carried out?
And in Spain?
As I said at the beginning of the article, it is a country where there are many different climates and micro-climates. This is very positive, as it allows us to enjoy a wide variety of different plants without leaving the territory; but When it comes to cultivation, some of us will need to adjust the pruning, fertilizing and other schedule to the weather conditions in the area..
This is why if you live in the Basque Country for example, you should not cut them at the same time as another person who lives in Seville, why? Because winter in the north tends to be a bit longer and colder than in the south. SO, You need to know when the season actually ends where you live.
If, for example, temperatures start to rise in February, when spring is officially still a month away, and you know frost will no longer occur, then that would be a good time to prune roses. But, If, on the other hand, it is March and we know that in April the thermometer will drop below 0 degrees, then it will be better to wait for it to pass.
What can happen if the roses are pruned in the middle of the frost and/or snow season?
When pruning, a wound is always made to the plant. A part remains exposed to environmental factors, and also a very vulnerable and very sensitive part. For him, If after pruning the temperature drops too much, this branch will be cold because it has not been protected.
In very serious cases, for example, if a very young rose bush has been pruned and/or if the snowfall is heavy, other branches could suffer the consequences of the cold even if we have not touched them.
AND, How do you know a rose bush is cooling? Well, the symptoms may not be seen the same day the temperature drops, but the day after.. The most striking thing will be the color change that will occur in the upper part of the branch, in the area where the cut was made. This color change can be green to yellow, green to brown, or green to black, which would be the worst case. Let’s see why:
- If it turns yellow (or a similar shade), it means there has been some damage, but the plant hasn’t suffered too much.
- If you switch to brown, the damage is more moderate.
- And if it turns black, it means that this part of the branch did not resist the cold and is dead.
Of course, we’re interested in keeping it green, but… What if it has changed color due to low temperatures? Well, although it’s a little strange, we won’t prune that area that’s been affected, because if we do, we’ll make the problem worse. What we will do is protect the rosebush with an anti-freeze cloth, as if it were a gift. This fabric allows water to pass through, but not the wind, so the plant is very protected. You can buy it here.
As you can see, pruning the rose bush in Spain should not be done in the middle of winter, as they say. Depending on the temperatures recorded in the area, it will have to be done at one time or another.