Growing Roses From Cuttings

Rose Propagation

Growing roses from cuttings, stem cuttings, and doing rose propagation, is a very popular and easy way to propagate roses for home gardeners and professionals who grow own-root roses.

How To Propagate Roses

Despite rose bush propagation being simple, growing roses from cuttings will not work for all roses. Some of the 'newer' hybrid tea roses are not good specimens for rose cutting propagation.

That's the reason some roses are always sold as budded or grafted plants, and never sold as own-root plants.

Rose Propagation Tips For Growing Roses From Cuttings

Always take three or more stem cuttings of a plant in case some fail to root.

Here are some additional tips for growing roses from cuttings.

Gallica Roses, such as Rosa Mundi, do not generally propagate readily from stem cuttings, but rather from off shoots that grow from spreading underground.

The ideal time to remove one of these root off-shoots is in early spring, with some moist earth held about the roots and then doing an immediate transplanting to the new site. These rooted off-shoots can also be set in pots and transplanted later if you wish.

When To Propagate Roses From Cuttings

Late spring is the best time to take cuttings for rose propagation, because the wood of the plant will be at the right stage of maturity to root well.

The Tools And Materials Needed

Pruning Sheers, Garden Gloves, Pruning Knife, Peat Pots ( 3 to 3 1/2 inch ), Sterile Potting Soil Medium, Pencil, Rooting Hormone, Clear Plastic Cups ( 16- inch size ), Permanent Marker, Aluminum Wire, Plastic Bags, Twist-Ties, Larger Pots ( 8 inches or larger ), and Fertilizer.

Propagation Techniques

Here are the step by step easy plant propagation that work great; rootstock propagation techniques, for growing roses from cuttings.

STEP 1: Take a Cutting

Make the cutting from a strong cane that has just bloomed. Cut so that it has four to five leaves. Trim the top at a 45-degee angle just above the topmost axil. Leave three or four leaf buds farther the shoot.

Cut the bottom at an angle through a junction with a side branch, leaving a "heel" at the base. Immediately put the cutting in water

STEP 2: Prepare th Peat Pot Container

Fill a round, 3 to 3 1/2 inch peat pot with sterile potting medium. Soak the the pot in warm water, and allow it to drain. Peat pots are good, because they allow you to see the roots as they push through the pots.

That's the sign it's time to repot. You can transplant a rooted cutting, peat pot and all, to a larger container without disturbing the young fragile root system



STEP 3: Prepare the Cutting

Press your gloved thumb against each thorn to remove it ( if the thorns don't pop off easily, the cane wood probably isn't ripe enough ).

Remove all but the topmost one or two leaves; be careful not to damage any of the buds. Snip off all but four or five leaflets. Scrape off the bark at the bottom of the cutting, making a narrow 1 inch long wound, one on each side.

STEP 4: Insert the Cutting

Punch a hole in the center of the potting medium in the peat pot. Dip the bottom of the wet cutting in rooting hormone powder, and tap off the excess. Insert the cutting in the hole, and gently firm the soil.

Punch holes through the bottom of a plastic cup. Label it with the roses names, the date, and the source. Slie the peat pot with cutting inside the cup.

STEP 5: Make a Greenhouse for the Cutting

Rose cuttings need constant moisture and humidity. Construct a simple wire frame work by looping two or three lenght of wire over each cutting, like an arbor or cage.

Insert the ends between the peat pot and the plastic cup. Carefully slide the cup with the wire arbor into a clear plastic bag, and seal with a twist-tie.

Make sure that the plastic doesn't touch any of the leaflets.



STEP 6: Care for the Cutting

Place the cutting in a warm place with bright light but not in direct sunlight. Each cutting will develop differently.

You may notice a flush of new growth as the first sign that roots are forming. Or you may see roots push through the sides or bottom of the peat pot. It may take as little as two weeks or as much as six months for roots to develop.

STEP 7: Transfer the Cutting

Transfer the rooted cutting to an 8 inch or larger pot. Add organic potting soil, completely burying the peat pot. Do not expose any part of the peat pot, it must be totally buried. Sprinkle a teaspoon of a slow release, balanced fertilizer with trace elements over the soil.

Place the container in cool shade, and keep it well watered. Over the next ten days to two weeks, gradually move it outside until it gets direct sunlight for at least six hours a day.

STEP 8: Transplant the Cutting

Transplant vigorous cuttings into the garden during the first fall in milder climates, and mound soil 4-6 inches high around the canes.

After the ground freezes, surround the plant with wire mesh, and cover it with mulch.

In colder climates or for cuttings that are not mature, keep the plants in containers and protect them from freezing tempratures until folowing spring.

But anybody is free to propagate older roses and rose varieties that are no longer under patent protection.

So you should find out the history of a particular rose before taking cuttings and growing roses from cuttings.

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