The desert rose is a plant that is native to the Southwestern United States and Mexico. It has become popular in landscaping because of its hardiness, drought resistance, and ability to grow in arid conditions. The desert rose is also known as the ocotillo or candlewood, depending on where it grows.
How To Prune Desert Rose
Here is the complete process explained in detail on how to prune desert rose:
1. Remove dead, diseased or damaged wood.
Use pruning shears to cut out dead wood and canes that have died back or are severely damaged. Make the cuts just above a bud or node, where there is new growth.
2. Remove any suckers that sprout from the base of the plant.
These are shoots that grow out from the rootstock and should be removed as soon as they appear so they don’t take energy away from the rest of the plant. Use pruning shears to cut them off at ground level.
3. Step 3
3. Thin out canes so they are spaced 6 to 12 inches apart This will give your rose bush room to grow and help prevent disease problems in future years by allowing air circulation around all parts of the plant. It will also help you see where new growth is developing so you’ll know where to cut back in step 4 below .
Tips for How To Prune Desert Rose
Here are 5 things to take care of with respect to how to prune desert rose:
1. The desert rose is a cactus, so it will need to be pruned regularly to keep it healthy and growing well.
2. Prune off any dead or damaged parts of the plant with a sharp knife or pruning shears. Make sure that you disinfect your tools before beginning!
3. Cut back on the growth of the plant when it is in its active growing season (usually late spring through early fall). This will encourage more blooms and better health overall for your desert rose.
“How To Preserve Roses” & “How To Prune Desert Rose” are registered trademarks of The Happy Gardener Company © 2014
FAQs
Interesting Facts About Roses
Here are 5 things you should know about roses:
1. Roses are actually a fruit, not a flower.
They are called “roses” because they grow from rose bushes, which are in the rose family of plants. The flowers of the rose plant contain many small fruits that look like tiny apples. Each little apple is covered with a fleshy outer layer and has many seeds inside. It takes about 6 months for these baby roses to grow into full-sized roses, so don’t be surprised if you see some green leaves still attached to the stems when you buy them at the store!
2. Roses have their own language!
There are over 100 different species of roses, and each one has its own unique scent and color. So how do you tell one kind from another? That’s where the language comes in. Each type of rose has its own special word that describes it by its color and scent:
Red:
Crimson Glory, Magic Carpet, Red Riding Hood, Red Velvet, Red
Hot Poker Pink:
Baby Doll (peach), Blushing Bride (pale pink), Charming (light pink), China Doll (white with blush) White: Angel Face (light yellow), April Showers (white), Casablanca (creamy white), Snow Drift Yellow: Amber Ruffles, Cactus Flower (greenish yellow), Golden Anniversary (yellowish orange) Orange/Peach/Apricot/Brunette: Autumn Sunshine, Burnt Sugar Black: Black Magic Blue: Blue Moon Burgundy/Purple/Violet/Lavender Purple: Amethyst Rose Gold Dust Green: Green Envy Lavender Pink Shades of Mauve Shades of Lilac Shades of Peach Shades of Pink Shades of Salmon Shades of Tangerine Orange Shades of Yellow Violet White Yellow
When should you prune a desert rose?
The best time to prune a desert rose is in late winter or early spring. Pruning should be done just before the new growth emerges from the ground. You can also prune after flowering, but avoid pruning during the summer months when the plant is most vulnerable.
How to prune a desert rose?
When you are ready to prune your desert rose, take off only about one-third of the plant at a time. This will help promote future flower blooms and healthy growth. Remove dead wood and branches that cross over each other or rub against another branch. Cut back any stems that have grown too long by at least half their length and leave only two or three main branches per stem. Desert roses do not require heavy pruning, so make sure you don’t cut back more than necessary.
How do you keep a desert rose blooming?
A desert rose blooms only one day a year.
How do you keep it blooming?
You make it bloom every day.
Can I trim desert roses in summer?
I am going to prune my desert roses now. I have a lot of them and there are two different kinds. The ones that are about four years old, the red ones, and then the new ones, which are pink and white. Is it time to trim them? I also have some other plants in the yard.
What should I do with those?
Answer: Yes, you can trim your desert roses now. They will appreciate it more if you do it at this time than if you wait until fall or winter. You can cut off any brown leaves, but be careful not to cut into the green leaf stems too much or they will not grow back next year. If they look too straggly, you can give them a haircut by cutting them down to about four inches tall. If they are really straggly looking and need extensive pruning, don’t cut them back until after June 1st so as not to disrupt their bloom cycle for next year.
If you want a more formal look for your garden, you could remove all of the lower branches from all of your desert rose bushes except for one on each plant that is growing upright (with no branching). You might consider doing this with the new pink and white varieties as well as with some of your older red varieties to make them look more uniform in height and shape if you’re planning to show them at a local flower show or just because it makes things neater around