Removing Thorns and Leaves from Roses

Metal and Plastic Thorn Removers

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, the prices of Roses are skyrocketing! The red rose, classic and timeless symbol of love, as we all know, is beautiful but covered in thorns (our poor hands).

These beauties are a florist’s nightmare especially when having to clean and arrange dozens of them. Today we will share more about a quick flower shop hack about removing thorns from roses. If you enjoy displaying roses at your home or are a newbie florist, an investment of a few dollars in one of these handy tools, the thorn stripper (or de-thorner) can save you much time and those band aids.

We explore how to use them in the video below. But here are the steps on how to use them

How to use Thorn Strippers

  1. Clip or fold the thorn remover around the base of the flower head (above the leaves and thorns)

  2. Holding the base of the flower securely with the other hand, apply pressure securely along the stem and pull the tool downwards

  3. Leaves and thorns will be caught in the jagged teeth and removed off the stem. Be careful when using thorn strippers as they can easily damage the stems and cause unsightly browning if too much force is applied along the stem.

Although it really saves much time, one of our florists still loves using regular floral scissors to clip them off, the other prefers to use floral or kitchen knives to cut the thorns off because it is even quicker way (wow). You can thank us for this finger saving hack!