Hybrid tea roses were obtained as a result of selection work in the middle of the XNUMXth century from old tea and remontant varieties of roses. Since then, they have been the most beloved and most popular among gardeners. The best qualities were taken from the parent varieties of roses: resistance to temperature extremes and large flowers of various colors.
In many varieties, one shoot forms 1 flower each, which makes hybrid tea roses convenient for cutting. Modern varieties can form groups of flowers, which increases the decorativeness of the bush. Hybrid tea varieties have dark green leathery leaves, and the height of the bush can reach 1 m. Flowering lasts from mid-June to early October with a short break of 2 weeks.
How to prune hybrid tea roses for the winter
Before you start pruning hybrid tea roses for the winter, you should take care of a quality garden tool. You will need a well-sharpened pruner that will make a clean cut without crushing the stem. Before use, the secateurs must be disinfected with potassium permanganate or Bordeaux liquid.
Pay attention to the following rules when pruning roses.
The slope of the cut is necessary from the kidney, so that the water rolls down, and does not accumulate on the cut and does not flow down to the kidney, which can rot from excess water.
Shoots that grow from the outer bud will grow outward, which will give them the opportunity to fully develop. Thus, a cup-shaped or rounded shape of the bush will be laid, when the shoots grow in the outer circle without interfering with each other.
Autumn pruning of roses is carried out in order to facilitate their shelter. Hybrid tea varieties tolerate winter well, but damaged shoots, leaves, unripened green shoots, and burgundy shoots that the plant has released too late to mature should be removed. Such shoots are called fattening. And they are, most often, doomed to death.
Another goal pursued during pruning is to ensure the growth of new shoots in the next vegetative season. With the growth of new shoots, new roots appear, the function of which is to feed the emerging shoots. A feature of hybrid tea roses is their increased regenerative capacity, which allows the bush to be renewed annually, prolonging its life. The life of rose bushes in one place can last more than a dozen years.
The question of leaf removal remains open and does not have a clear answer. Moreover, many experienced rose growers with extensive experience do not recommend removing foliage at all. Since this is, first of all, hard work, if there are more than a dozen rose bushes. After all, it is required to cut the leaves, and not cut them off, so as not to damage the kidney.
It is believed that by removing leaves, gardeners weaken the plant. In the spring, hybrid tea varieties cannot recover for a long time, even if the wintering was successful. This is because heavily pruned roses with removed foliage cannot fully stock the necessary trace elements for a successful winter.
Pruning of hybrid tea roses takes place in the last decade of October – early November. Pruning is gentle or moderate, when shoots are removed by about half. This method of pruning will make it possible to make another pruning in the spring if the shoots are damaged by frost or disease.
Hybrid tea roses bloom both on old shoots and on new ones. First, the old lignified shoots bloom, and only then the young ones, which makes it possible for roses to bloom continuously for a long time.
When planting seedlings, damaged roots are removed, long shoots are shortened by 2-3 buds, this will enable the plant to grow a rich green mass.
For 2 years, hybrid tea roses are shortened to 6 buds, which is about 20-30 cm from the soil level. The most powerful shoots are subjected to such pruning, weak shoots are shortened more strongly, leaving 2-3 buds or 15 cm, stepping back from the soil surface.
How to prune hybrid tea roses, see the video:
There is an opinion among flower growers, which is based on many years of experience, that hybrid tea varieties do not need pruning in the fall. Do not injure the plant twice: in spring and autumn. During the winter, all the nutrients from the leaves and green shoots gradually pass into the roots and stems, supporting them in the cold period. By cutting greens, we deprive the rose bush of additional nutrition.
Nevertheless, the issue of sheltering roses is not in doubt. Regardless of the region, hybrid tea roses require shelter. From the simplest shelter with spruce branches in the southern regions of the country to the construction of more serious structures for shelter in the middle lane, in Siberia and the Urals.
Preparing roses for winter
Preparation of hybrid tea roses for the winter cold begins at the end of summer. Nitrogen is excluded from top dressing, fertilized with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. If you have loamy soils, then you can feed with potassium sulfate, since loams are able to accumulate phosphorus, and an excess of phosphorus will not benefit the plants.
Then the roses are pruned. The root circle is sprinkled with soil or covered with a layer of mulch of 0,3-0,4 m. Mulch can be a mixture of soil, peat and sawdust, or your own garden soil with the addition of humus.
During the period when temperatures are set at least -7 ° C, hybrid tea varieties are covered. For shelter use spruce branches or dry foliage. These are the simplest and most accessible materials. You can also use various garden debris, for example, faded plants torn from the flower bed along with the roots. They warm hybrid tea roses well and create ventilation. Plants in such shelters feel good in winter, do not freeze and do not rot. Before covering, hybrid tea roses are treated with copper-containing preparations.
You can wrap roses in agrofibre, burlap or thick paper. First, pull the branches to each other with twine, and only then insulate from above.
Another option for shelter using arcs. If the roses are not pruned in autumn, then they should be slightly bent down. The distance between the stems and the upper part of the shelter should be at least 10-20 cm so that there is an air gap, thanks to which the plants will be protected from frost. The height of the arcs is from 50-60 cm. It is not advisable to do it higher, since the bushes in such a shelter can freeze.
Arcs from above are covered with geotextile or any other non-woven covering material in 2-3 layers. Securely fixed to the arcs and to the soil, so as not to be blown away by the wind. You can also use a film, but then the shelter is left open at the ends so that the plants do not grow out, as condensation forms on the film. With the onset of temperatures of -7°C-10°C, all ventilation openings should be securely closed.
Another way of shelter is suitable for the northern regions. From boards, plywood or cellular polycarbonate, a hut is made, which is installed over hybrid tea roses. Shields made of boards or plywood are additionally covered with lutrasil in several layers, the top layer is turned with a smooth side, it does not let moisture through. At positive temperatures and a slight minus, the ends of the hut are not closed. But as soon as -5°С-7°С is established, the whole structure is covered.
Conclusion
Hybrid tea roses are the decoration of any garden that needs proper care. Only then will the plants delight you with abundant and long flowering. The grower makes the choice himself, whether to prune the bushes for the winter or leave them as they are until spring pruning, how to cover the plant for the winter. If the choice is made in favor of pruning, then certain agrotechnical rules should be observed so that the roses remain healthy and do not waste energy on recovery next season.