Just realized I've been pruning my roses wrong for 15 years

A master gardener at the Chicago Botanic Garden last Saturday told me I was cutting at a 45-degree angle the wrong way, and now I have to go apologize to every rose bush I've ever owned. Anyone else have a moment where a pro casually dropped knowledge that exposed years of bad habits?

2 comments

2 Comments

willow6721d agoMost Upvoted

Actually the 45 degree angle thing is a bit misunderstood even by pros. The important part isn't the angle itself - it's making sure the cut slopes away from the bud so water runs off instead of pooling. I learned this from a guy at the Chicago Botanic Garden too (a different one I guess, a few years back). He showed me that a 45 degree cut pointing the wrong way can actually trap water and cause rot. He said as long as the slope directs water away from the bud, even a 30 or 60 degree cut works fine. The real crime is when people leave big stubs above the bud or cut too close and damage it. Your poor roses probably just need a little time to forgive you honestly.

xena_allen1d ago

Wait, so I've been doing the 45-degree cut correctly but had the angle facing the bud all these years? (facepalm) I had almost the exact same moment but with my tomato plants - a master gardener at our county extension office casually mentioned I was watering the leaves instead of the soil, and I stood there realizing I'd been giving my tomatoes fungal diseases on purpose for like a decade. She showed me that drip hose I'd ignored in the shed and now my plants don't look like they're covered in rust. The rose angle thing though, that's wild - I'd bet half the internet is out there right now checking their pruner angles and realizing they owe their bushes an apology too.