rooting roses...

I want to do some cuttings of Pat Austin and Margo Koster for some people - any advice like new wood or old, lots of humidity or not, etc. Could do Google research but too tired...(lazy) so hoping for some input here. Have shade house - no greenhouse, usually mist several times on hot days. Temps here in high 90's.

I'm no pro, but one summer we had a bad storm that knocked the canes of a couple of my tea roses off, clear to the ground. I found them the next morning and stuck them in coffee cans filled with wet sand. The cans had drainage holes. It took about six weeks or so and the roots started. From three or four canes, I got a couple of them to root. Kept them in shade. I'm guessing that semi hard wood would work well. I still have one of those roses and the mother plant is long gone. Hope someone will come along and give you the real scoop, but when in doubt.....punt!!

Good luck.

Thanks Brugie - didn't even know hybrid teas would grow off their own roots! Gonna try that...!

The old way used to be to put a cutting in the soil and put an inverted quart canning jar over it. Nowadays a lot of folks use plastic containers, like a milk jug, because they can control the climate a little better with holes in the jug or taking the top off in really hot weather. Be sure to water the soil well around the cutting before you put the jug or jar over it. It seems like about half the ones with the jars rooted. Of course, you can dip it in a little rootone or soak it with willow leaves and stems for a day, first.

This message was edited Jul 25, 2004 6:26 PM

If you root a hybrid tea, will it be true to the variety or the root stock??

Paul

Paul it will be the hybrid because you take the cutting above the graft. So it is actually a clone........
Be sure to take your cuttings on the medium firm part of the stem. Not brand new growth and not old woody, brown growth near the bottom, but the middle stems. Be sure you can see some leaf buds or unions because that is where the roots will grow out. Remove all but the very top leaves.

This message was edited Jul 25, 2004 9:19 AM

Thanks

Paul

Be sure to keep them in the shade and be patient

Thanks all for the help!
:)

When I root, I go to second 5 leaf node under spent bloom and cut. I want 2 nodes in ground and 2 above ground with leafs still attached, cover with gal. milk jug with bottom cut off. Single biggest problem I have found is too much water or too wet soil causing rot. There are many variations of rooting but this way I do it. Also, don't disturb jug until growth starts indicatting good root system. This is a very simple thing to do. I say this after failing to be able to do it for many failed attempts, but one day everything fell into place.

Larry, do you leave the top on milk jug or take off?

on

I haven't tried the hybrid teas but this is what I do for mini's. I put potting soil in a large styrofoam cup and wet it thoroughly then pour off any extra water. Dip the end of the cutting in rooting hormone (I've used rootone and dip n grow - either of them) and stick it in about half way. Then I put the cup in a plastic bag - the kind they put your newspaper in) and tie it off and hang it up somewhere in the shade. Or if I don't want to hang the bags, I've stuck bamboo cane in with the cutting - just so the bag will not touch the rose. In a week or so, I open the bag and then close it back and just wait. I've had probably 90% success with this. Works great for bouganvilla too. Good luck! Sandy

Hello rose lovers,

You might want to try this method. It is working for me.

There are 8 pictured steps.

STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 4

STEP 5

STEP 6

STEP 7

AND FINALLY STEP 8. I HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL, AS I WISH YOU ALL THE GREENIST OF GREEN THUMBS.

Inky, thanks for sharing that. What book did that come from Please?

Susan

Happy belated Birthday.... Inky!!

~* Robin