Rose Thorns

Well, now for the sticky part of the subject.

What should be done about all those thorns?
Thorns are actually a defense mechanism to
protect the rose from being eaten.
Since we are handling them a lot it makes
sense to remove the thorns.

There is a right way and a wrong way to
do this. All roses on the stem's outer
layer has a covering referred to as bark.
This bark is a protective layer for
the core vascular system of the
stem, and if damaged can impede the
water flow of the rose by allowing the
vascular portion to dry out and thereby
not allowing water uptake.
A bit like drinking through a straw
that has been crushed.

With care, a gentle touch, and a very
sharp knife, the thorns can be removed without
damaging the bark. It takes a little
practice, as it is a bit awkward,
but can be mastered relatively easily.

The easiest way to remember how is
to imagine the rose stem is your finger.
Therefore you don't want to hold the
knife edge in a way that it cuts down
into your finger and that you only need
to remove the offensive sharp point.

With a sharp knife this is really easy
to do, and you won't have to push
excessively hard to get the job done.