Should you remove the thorns of roses?
Every wound on the stem of roses leads to major vase contamination and deterioration of the stem bark, and it can even lead to bent-neck. Roses with thorns therefore last longer in the vase compared to those which have been removed. When a flower food is added to the vase water, these differences disappear and the flowers last equally as long. However, the vase water of roses without thorns will become cloudy. The only excuse for removing thorns is to make arranging easier and to protect the hands if no gloves are used.
If you have to, remove the thorns with as little damage to the tissue as possible. At home, you can best remove them by breaking them off by hand, pushing them aside. All other methods of using knives and thorn removers are harmful to the flower and are real ‘vase life killers’.