Roses are plants we all love to have in our garden. Their long slender stalk and colorful flowers adorning the top have been a significant part of decades’ landscaping designs. In this feed we ll get to know How to Grow Roses from Cuttings.
Propagation by stem cutting is a common way of planting herbs, but even hardy plants like roses can take the same part. But why do we go through the stress of propagating instead of just growing the seeds? Propagation ensures you get the same plant as the parent plant while growing the seed can produce slightly different varieties.
Family traditions and heirlooms need to be kept in place. The only way to ensure this plant stays the same and is passed down to the next generation is through propagation. What about when you see a particular rose variety you love growing in your friend’s house? Propagation lets you transfer the same type to your garden. If you’re wondering how to style the roses, check out 15 rose garden ideas to have in your home.
Take Note: Before picking roses to cut, check that they are not patented as that may be an infringement on the patent owner’s rights. Not to worry, there are lots of non-patented roses to choose from.
What are Rose Cuttings
Put merely, rose cuttings are parts cut from a rose plant during different stages of its growth. Different rose varieties have varying times to pick cuttings to get the best result. Let’s look at some stages you can pick cuttings.
- Softwood cuttings: This is when the plant is still tender and soft. It is the easiest to root as the plant is still thriving. The best time to pick softwood cuttings is between late spring and early summer.
- Semi-hardwood cuttings: Here, the plant stem is slightly hardier than the softwood cuttings. The branch is likely to have bumps from where it blossomed earlier. Best time to pick it? Between late summer and early fall.
- Hardwood cuttings. This is the hardiest of them all. The plant stem here is slightly dried and has stopped growing. The hardwood cuttings are the hardest to grow roots. The best time to pick them is between late fall and early winter.
Advantages of Roses from Stem Cuttings (Own Root) have over the others
Own root roses are simply roses that were grown from cuttings from another rose plant. Let us see why you should use rose cuttings instead of seeds or grafting.
- They are the same variety as the plant it is cut from. Planting from other means does not give you the guarantee can cutting does.
- Planting from cane cutting protects your roses from the rose mosaic virus prevalent when using the grafting method.
- They are more challenging because they are top shoots that have not been weakened.
- Own root plants have more matured root systems since they are commonly grown in pots and not on the field where harvesting leaves a huge chunk of their roots in the ground.
- They typically live longer than grafted species under the same conditions.
Materials You Need
- Pruners: To cut off rose parts, you need
- Mature rose plant: To take rose cuttings from
- Plastic bags: To cover the cuttings
- Sand or rose potting mix
- Potting hormone
- Plastic container
- Knife
- Perlite
- Containers
Best Time to Plant Rose Cuttings
There is no set best time to plant rose cuttings; climatic conditions guide it. The best time to grow in a Mediterranean climate is from late fall through winter to early spring. The cold weather during that period provides the best growing conditions for the cutting.
Not withstanding, you can still plant your rose cuttings at any time of the year. Even you may need special care during extreme climate conditions.
You may have to water daily during summer months to provide the cutting with the necessary moisture it needs.
Preparation
The delicate task of planting rose cuttings need adequate preparation to get the optimum result. What kind of practice do you need to put in place for and How to Grow Roses from Cuttings? I’ll show you in the next paragraph.
It would be best if you got a suitable land ready. You need land that receives a lot of light but not as much heat from the sun, which may dry up the cuttings and prevent them from growing. A place that receives morning sun but is shielded from the scorching afternoon sun is ideal.
Suppose you’re planting directly to the ground. In that case, you need to clear the area by removing weed and debris and tilling the soil 6 inches deep to loosen the land for the roots to penetrate easily.
If you’re planting in containers, you need a box filled with rose potting mix and perlite. Plant the cutting 6 inches deep into the mix so the roots can form properly.
For the rose cuttings, use your pruner to clip a cane from where it branched out from the central cane. Do this in one clean cut. Cut the cane into different sections of about 6 inches each and remove all leaves and flowers. You may want to mark the end closer to the central cane as that is the end that goes into the ground.
How to Plant Rose Cuttings
Take your cuttings and deep the marked ends (ends closer to the central cane) into a root hormone mix. This encourages the growth of new roots.
Poke a deep enough hole into the ground or container with a rod and put your rose cutting inside. This is so the root hormone mix does not clean off when forcing it into the ground.
Gently pressed down the soil around the cutting to make the ground firm and then water lightly.
How to Care for the Rose Cutting
Now that you have planted it, you need to care for it to enjoy the magical rose feeling in your garden. How do you do this?
The cutting needs a lot of humidity and moisture for it to start taking root. Enough, not too much, that is why you need to cover the cutting with a plastic container that has the top cut off. Ensure the soil is never dry throughout the rooting season, but it is not soggy too.
It takes about a month or two for roots to form. When roots have formed, you can now transplant them to their permanent positions. However, you still need to monitor and protect them against harsh weather conditions in the first year.
Conclusion
Propagation by cutting is the new wave of planting rose because of its numerous advantages over traditional means. And as I have shown you in this guide, growing roses through cuttings is not rocket science. It just needs dedication, as it’ll take a little more care and attention.
All the stress will be forgotten in an instant once these lovely plants fill up your garden.
