Growing Roses From Rose
Instead of planting nursery-bought roses, grow the plant from a cutting taken from a healthy and vigorously growing rose. Although the cuttings take between two and three years to fully develop into a shrub, the experience is a rewarding one and the blooms are identical to the parent plant. Ensure the rose bush you are taking cuttings from meets your color, fragrance, bloom size and other specifications before including the plant in your garden plan. Take more than one cutting to make allowances for those that fail to root.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Pruning shears
- Glass or wet paper towel
- Peat or plastic pots
- Potting medium
- Hand drill (optional)
- Rooting hormone
- Bowl
- Plastic bags
- Elastic bands
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1
Inspect the rose plant after it's finished blooming, looking for a healthy cane, preferably between November and February. Make a sharp, 45-degree cut to sever a 6- to 8-inch-long, pencil-sized cane from the parent plant. Use sterilized pruning shears or a knife when making the cut on the cane, preferably directly under a leaf node.
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2
Insert the lower end of the cane in a glass of water or wrap it in a wet paper towel while you repeat the procedure for cutting three or more similar canes from the rose plant. Do not expose the cuttings to direct sunlight or allow them to dry out.
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3
Pull out the leaves from the lower end and center of each cutting, leaving two or three at the top to help the canes produce food.
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4
Fill peat or plastic flower pots with potting medium until 3/4 to 1 inch below the edge. Use one pot per rose cutting. Inspect the base of the pots for drainage holes and drill one 1/2-inch wide hole through the center of each, if necessary. Insert a pencil through the potting medium in each pot to make a hole for the cutting.
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5
Pour rooting hormone in a bowl and place it near the cuttings. Insert the lower end (2 to 3 inches) of a cutting into the rooting hormone and turn it around to ensure complete coverage. Lift the cutting and gently tap its end to remove excess hormone powder.
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6
Lower the hormone-covered end of the cutting into the hole in the potting medium. Ensure the hormone end is below soil level. Tamp the soil around the cutting so it holds the cutting in place and spray the soil lightly with a spray bottle. Repeat the process for rooting the remaining cuttings in individual pots. Label the pots with date and name of the rose variety if you took the cuttings from different rose varieties.
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7
Insert each pot in a plastic bag and secure its top with an elastic band, ensuring the top of the bag does not touch the foliage. Place the pots in a shaded spot exposed to warm but bright light.
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8
Maintain moisture levels to prevent the potting medium from drying out until the cuttings root and develop new leaves, which usually takes five to seven weeks. Remove the bags and place the pots in an area with six hours of sunlight exposure. Transplant the cuttings to larger pots filled with quality potting soil and place in filtered sunlight until the end of the growing season.
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