I just got through putting 15 rose cuttings to root (hopefully!). There is a 100 year old rose bush at the manse for the church up the road, and I got permission to take cuttings. The rose is beautiful, a floribunda judging from the growth and blossom pattern. I have no qualms about asking for rose cuttings. Of course, the rose has to be own-root and not grafted, but when I see one, I ask! Most folks are very generous with their roses, especially in old cemeteries (where no one has risen up to object yet). Most folks take cuttings in the spring, but here in Texas it gets too hot too soon for the cuttings to do well. Taking them now gives the cuttings a chance to root and then establish themselves in a pot before they get heat-stressed. Keep your fingers crossed for my cuttings! Edit: Darn, I just realized I should have put this under Roses. Frank, can you move it for me, please?
Good lucking with the cuttings. I have never tried to root them from cuttings but have pinned stems from climbing roses to the ground until they take root. What color is the bloom?
Toni, the bloom is a lovely soft pink, and there are lots of them! The rose is also a re-bloomer. I've done the same thing with climbers (I think it's called "pegging") and had pretty good luck. I hope my Clytemnestra climber roots from the two canes I have pegged now.
When your cuttings wake up in the spring, if any should try to set flower, nip those off. its too much for barely calloused rootlets.
My brother brought a cutting from his departed wife's rose bush to me. We put root hormone in a big jug of water and placed it in there right before Thanksgiving. So far there's no sign of roots. Shall I do anything else for it? Or just leave it alone?
I've never tried it in a terrarium. How do you set it up? I've never had luck started rose bushes from cuttings... and I really want this one to take.
Cheryl, I have had good luck with rose cuttings. This is what I do: 1. Get a small bucket of water and a pair of very, very sharp scissors or a knife. 2.Prepare a rooting container(I use the bottom half of vinegar or bleach gallon plastic bottles well rinsed and washed and with a half dozen holes poked in with a large nail) with a mixture of 1/3 vermiculite, 2/3 perlite that fills the container about 2/3 full and moisten the mix well. Place the container in a shallow dish or tray. 3. Cut a leafed stem that is at least 6" long, and no longer than 12" that shows evidence of having had a blossom and immediately plunge the whole thing into the bucket. Make as many cuttings as you want, but if you are doing several varieties of roses, do only one type at a time (otherwise it leads to confusion!). 4. When you get back to the potting area, have a fresh bucket of water handy, and your jar of rooting hormone (I use the powder form, and put a bit in a small jar so as not to contaminate the whole container). Remove leaves from the cutting, leaving 5 or 6 leaves toward the top. Make a fresh, 45 degree cut in the stem end of your cutting while holding it under water, then plunge the cut end into the rooting hormone about 1" deep. Tap off the excess, make a hole in the perlite/vermiculite mixture, and insert the cutting (make a hole, don't thrust the cutting into the mix because that will remove a lot of the hormone). A gallon container will hold six cuttings usually. 5. Water gently from overhead (this is the last overhead watering, and its purpose is to settle the cutting in well). 6. Place a clear plastic bag or clear bottle or jar over the entire container. If you use a bag, you will need to put some kind of support to hold it up off the cuttings. 7. Place the container with the cuttings where it will get indirect sunlight and out of strong winds. Keep water in the tray or dish to maintain moisture for the cuttings. 8. Leaves will drop off, don't worry. If the stem turns black, that cutting failed. Otherwise, leave them for 6-8 weeks, and then gently tug on the cuttings. If you feel resistance, roots are forming. Some roses take longer than others. 9. With a spoon dig down into the vermiculite/perlite mix and very gently lift a cutting that has resistance, and see if there are sufficient roots to transplant it into potting soil in a 4" pot. Do not fertilize! 10. These cuttings should be moved up to quart and then gallon pots as they grow, fertilizing as needed. Put them in the ground a year after taking the cuttings. I hope your sister-in-law's rose cutting roots. If not, try again in the spring and fall. I find that in Texas fall cuttings do better (I have about 25 in the potting shed right now!).
Thanks Jane for the detailed instructions. I think there are 4 cuttings. We put the largest one in a jug by itself. This will be my only chance to get cuttings since my sis-in-law has passed away and my brother will be moving very soon. I will print out your instructions and give it a try. Keep your fingers crossed! And thanks again for all the help/info.
Okay Jane... I followed your instructions and set up a spot for some of the cuttings. I placed them in a regular old plastic pot filled with the Perlite & Vermiculite. Set it in a pan of water and covered with a plastic bag. It will get bright indirect light. rose cuttings ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) There's also a big stalk that's just been set in a big jug outside with root starter. I noticed over the weekend that, although it hasn't put on any roots, it is showing signs of new growth! Dana's Rose Start ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) I take it that's a good sign that something's working right? So I took a short cutting of one of the branches showing this growth and put it in with the other cuttings. Does it look like I'm on the right track? Oh yeah... and in that first photo.. that orange thing is actually a seed pod. I keep waiting on it to "ripen". Maybe I could even get seeds from it?
Cheryl, you sure are on the right track! I'm going out later this afternoon to take photos of my propagation set-up and the recently potted roses, and my set-up and yours could be twins. I'll try to post the photos tomorrow or the next day. Take off the orange thing--it's a hip, which does contain seeds, but starting a rose from seed is a multi-year project. The hip won't do anything for your cutting and may even sap a bit of strength. You were smart to put a taller bamboo stake in the center of your pot to keep the plastic from laying on the cuttings. I think you are a natural-born rose propagator!
Thanks for the words of encouragement Jane! I really really want to keep my sis-in-laws roses growing. And if this works, then I can try getting cuttings from my aunts again (the one's I tried before didn't take). Keep your fingers crossed for me... and thanks again for all the info/help!
Marlin, I can't thank you for this informative thread enough! I downloaded it and placed in file. Because of you; I'm going to buy a rosebush I saw at Lowes last week. That is, IF you guys think it will make it down here (See Marlin's latest thread on rose cuttings here: http://www.gardenstew.com/about20913.html) It was a creamy lavender. Not a tea-type. I'll get the name if you guys think it might work for me in this zone. Edit: Grammar, spelling Thank you (Cheryl) for the photos too, they really help
Nicole, you are most welcome! I love roses, and love helping others get more roses! I'm terribly flattered that you have actually filed that post . The creamy lavender rose may be a hybrid, grafted rose. Please post the name so we can do a little research on it. Grafted roses are not candidates for cutting propagation, since the blooming part, the attractive part, is grafted onto a sturdy root and is usually too weak to live on its own. If you want to try cuttings, get some from an antique rose (Caldwell Pink, Old Blush, Mutabilis) that roots easily. Success is so encouraging!
The cuttings that I placed in the vermiculite mixture have put on several new leaves! But no sign of roots yet. Is this typical? Should I do anything else to promote root growth? rose cutting-new leaves ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden )
