I am wondering about rose cuttings

OK, please refer me to the thread in the rose forum if I missed it, but I have seen much talk about using rose cuttings to start new plants. I would really like to share my minature roses - just because I love them and I end up throwing away lots of cuttings each year.

I thought roses had to be "grafted" and I am up for any clear instructions on rooting and growing cuttings of these little guys. BTW after this cold winter I am not seeing any green, except near the base of the plants and no signs of new growth yet so the cuttings I will be taking look quite dead. I want to prune these plants before the 15th (Almanac). Thanks!

Hi, RiseAnn....I, too am interested in propagating roses. Here's a link I found that explains step-by-step how to root softwood cuttings for roses:

http://web.webaccess.net/~cnetter/rose_tour/rose_cut.html

And no, many roses do not need to be grafted on root stock - some rose experts claim that "own root" roses are longer-lived than their grafted counterparts. (As with most things, there are as many opinions as there are experts.)

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Thanks Ladies - I will try both ways. I just can't believe I've been throwing them all away ;o

I appreciate the info and the link - THANKS!!!

Rise Ann

RiseAnn, one word of caution (which you should probably take with at least a grain of salt; remember I'm pretty new to rose propagating, too), but I think you'll have better success using softwood (new growth) cuttings than trying to root the hardwood (old growth) that you're planning to prune out. Now, I'm all for the "nothing ventured, nothing gained" approach to life, so by all means, take a stab at rooting them, but they might not do as well as small (6" or so) cuttings taken from softwood later in the season.

Best of luck! And keep us posted on how it's going!!!!

Texas Rose Rustlers has a great deal of info regarding not only propogating from cuttings, but growing from seeds as well as grafting. Check out their site at: http://texas-rose-rustlers.com

Bloomer

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GV - Thanks for the note and good point. I have two types of miniatures to prune, two hybrid teas that need more sun and an old-fashioned red, so I have several to play with. I'll start with the old wood and work up to the new.

Thanks Bloomer! :) I've seen several references to the Rustlers in the forums - I am going to spend some time reviewing this site.

MzM - Thanks! I really appreciate the encouragement and if this works - I'll be handing out roses!

Thanks all!

I've had some of the roses in my garden start new plants on their own from layering. If a cane gets long enough so it can lay over and touch the ground it will root right where it comes in contact with the soil. It's probably not the most efficient way to get a lot of cuttings but it's a no fuss & easy method. It allows the plant do the work and then the baby can easily be severed from the mother and moved elsewhere. It may not be a good idea for miniatures where they're small plants anyway but it's great for climbers and shrub roses.

Thanks for the tip Poppysue :) I will try a variety of these methods and share my success/failures in the journal, and hopefully in the plant trading forum!

Hello Riseann
The suggestion that go-voles gave you at the beginning of this thread is the one I used last mid-June on my rose cuttings. I followed the instructions as indicated and was able to remove them out of the bag about mid august. From there they went into 4 inch pots,and in mid september into the garden. I live in zone 4 and have had an incredible winter. I didn't provide a lot of cover for them just whatever the linden tree decided to blanket them with, and they all survived. I used clippings from own-root roses and while they were still in thier little baggie houses placed them in a shaded area and forgot about them. Occasionaly checking on them to see if they had formed thier roots yet. Great success rate. I was able to get at least 4 or 5 into each baggie, and my losses were maybe 5 percent.I think some of my success can be attributed to the fact that the roses I was rooting were own-root stock roses. Do a little research on the type of rose you want to root, and go for it. Good Luck, Kathy

I have a potted rosebush that I started from a cut flower stem that was a gift from my aunt when my first child was born umph...yrs ago. I just tore off the flower and stuck it in a pot full of garden dirt. It rooted moved with me for many years and about every 7 or 8 years I start a new plant the same way from it. This summer I will make a new plant again...this one for my latest grandchilds birth!

Wow! Some great suggestions here. I ordered four new miniatures - two are gifts and of course I wanted to steal a piece of the gifts for me :) I decided to wait for the new growth on my existing roses, so I will be trimming those back this week. I will let you know how this works.

Thanks Kathy and ZM - success stories always bolster my confidence!

I know that this is taboo depending on who you talk to but...
I sometimes dig up my miniatures and divide them. Not all of my mini's can be divided, but I have never had any success with rooting cuttings so this is my method.

Check aout Air Layering:

http://www.ars.org/experts/air-layer.html

I have rooted more roses than I can count..I have used the bag method, but this is so much easier and I've had better results..Right next to my water hose that is in partial shade, I just stick cuttings down into the dirt at least 3-4 leave joints stripped of all leaves but a couple at the very top..I keep them damp, which is easy to do being as I used the faucets several times daily..I have had very good luck doing this..
Larkie

Thanks Larkie - my first try with the bag method ended in moldy cuttings. I will try again - this time with layering or damp dirt.

Riseann
Sorry to hear of your first attempt using the baggie method. The soiless potting mix needs to be damp not wet...and it also helps to keep them in a shaded environment. No sun, or they will cook. Temperatures shouldn't be much under 55 degrees at night. Let me know how your future cuttings with layering works. Good Luck, Kathy. Zone 4b. Sioux Falls.

Hi Kathy! You're in SD too!!! Yea!

Well, I think I must have had them "wet" not damp. They turned a sickly light green color first and then one day they were moldy. I had them in the house out of direct sunlight. I was worrying that they didn't get enough light, but I didn't want to roast them either.

I am thinking I could try them in the baggie under the lights in the basement - perfect even 66 degrees there. Anyway - I am going to keep trying :)

Riseanne,
Glad to see you're not giving up. Make sure you do this important step. Remove the flowering part, strip off the bottom two sets of leaves and score the bottom part of the stem along its length an inch or so. Roots will form along this score. To score the cutting, you can use a knife, pin (or even a sharp fingernail) and scratch just through the surface to the pith underneath. This gives a lot more area for the root to grow. Also I had better luck with small cuttings. Less for the new roots building to keep up with. Good Luck, Kathy

Kathy,
I had a hanging basket snap off the top of a rose branch that had 2 buds on it. I took the leaves off, but I left the 2 buds on and stuck it in the ground - next to the water faucet as Larkie described. The cutting is still firm, but do you think it will not set roots unless I take the buds off? I have never done this before, but this thread gave me courage.
Dorothy

Rhapsody,
How long is that branch? You may have better luck with it if you downsize it to 5 or 6 inches with what used to be a leaf attatchment under the soil level. Also I definitely would cut the buds off and try to get them to bloom in water.The buds are just going to zap the energy from that branch. Also, is the space by the water faucet in partial shade? If not, full sun can bake it if it has no root system. A good site for rose cuttings is the one at the top of the forum that go-vols sent in. Good Luck and Happy Gardening. Kathy

Kathy,
I guess the branch is only sticking an inch or two out of the ground. It is in the ground inside a homemade greenhouse attached to my house, and gets shade from the rosebush from which it was broken. It is probably 2 or 3 inches into the ground, so I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens, since it sure isn't planted correctly. I will snip the buds, but it will hurt to do it! :)
Dorothy