Growing Roses From Cuttings

Have you ever wondered how to grow roses from cuttings or simply want to speed up the time it takes for your cuttings to root? All it takes is a little bit of know-how and time and you can have beautiful roses born from cuttings in no time.

How to Grow Roses from Cuttings

Firstly, as if you were performing an operation, you need to use sterile tools. Bacteria from dirty tools will prevent roots forming so it is best to wash tools and pots with water containing two full caps of bleach and then allow them to dry.

Roses, just like us, can get stressed during the day, which is why it is a good idea to take your cuttings in the morning or late evening when the roses are hydrated and away from the burning midday sun.

Many rose growers use rooting hormone for their rose cuttings because not only does it encourage rooting sooner, it wards off root rot, damp off as well as a range of other diseases that can kill the rose.

What a lot of people don’t know is that turkey roasting bags make superb temporary greenhouses for growing roses from cuttings. Not only are they durable but they can be washed and used as many times as you want! By covering your rose cuttings you will help to keep the humidity higher which will give a much higher success rate. You can also mist your cuttings with a water bottle several times a day to help keep the humidity levels high.

You will need to use 3 parts peat moss and 1 part Perlite as a soil medium which acts to retain moisture as well as provide the drainage that roses need to survive.

A lot of people go wrong when they pull out their rose cuttings to check if they have rooted. This is like picking a scab to see if a cut has healed, don’t do it. All this does is injure any cuttings that have rooted. What you can do however is to very gently pull at the stems to see if they feel attached, if they do, they may be rooting. However the best advice is to just wait for a few days to make sure you don’t harm the cuttings as they root. If you see new growth appear then you know the cuttings have rooted.

For the more curious growers who simply cannot wait, there are pots and cups with good drainage made just for you. They are clear so you can see when your roots have formed.

If you have decided to grow your cuttings inside your house, you will need to make sure they are hardened off. If you suddenly move them outside they may burn, dry out too fast or even go into shock.

Cuttings are extremely vulnerable and it is integral to the life of your roses that you ensure the cuttings are not subject to excessively cool or hot temperatures. It is a good idea to keep newly rooted rose cuttings indoors or protected inside a greenhouse while they struggle through their first winter. If the cuttings have already been planted it is vital they are protected with mulch or another way of keeping them warm.

Fertilising is important but it is advised strongly not to fertilise cuttings until after they have put on new growth. When they have shown signs of maturing, you can use a liquid fertiliser at half the recommended strength to ensure the new roots you have put so much time and effort into are not burnt.

Information

  • Leaf joints are the visible scars on the stem where the leaves grow.
  • You can buy your own root hormone from any garden centre or you can make your own from willow bark tea.
  • Misting inside the greenhouse bag every other day is enough to keep the rose cuttings at optimal humidity for growth.
  • If you plant your cuttings in early spring they will root faster than any other time of year.
  • Many people use clippers to cut leaves from the stems, however all this does is cause the remaining shrubs to rot.
  • By keeping your tools sterile with a 10% solution of bleach to water, you will notice a higher success rate in growing your roses from cuttings.