Growing rose plants the right way was never my forte since I had tried it several times, but it hardly worked.
But I’m not someone who gives up too easily, which is why I still wished to make it happen sometime in the future. And when my neighbor, Alice, happened to pay a visit, the topic of growing rose plants cropped up in our discussion.
Surprisingly, I came to know that she had managed to grow two beautiful plants all by herself using rose cuttings, so I asked her to help me out with this. Thus began my most ambitious gardening project, and in a month, it was done and dusted!
Hi, I’m Stacy, and today I’m here to assist you on how to grow rose from cutting. So, without further ado, let’s dive in!
When dealing with cuttings, you must remember that for each plant, there’s a particular season when the growth is more pronounced. Hence, you must take the stem cuttings from a plant at that particular time of the year, which is at the start of September for roses.
It is during this time that the rose bushes start flowering, and the finished blooms are about to be removed. Alice cautioned me that taking the cuttings during some other time would never yield the desired results. That’s why I always had this in mind whenever I was trying to grow roses.
Now, here’s another crucial piece of information that’s fundamental to growing the best roses from cuttings. The cutting should always be somewhere between 6 to 8 inches long, with the measurement taken down its stem to the base of a bloom.
After you‘ve learned the essentials, let’s move on to knowing the tools and materials needed and the procedure involved.
Begin by taking a segment of 6 to 8 inches, as I mentioned earlier, from a stem that has bloomed recently. Make sure you cut at a 45-degree angle to the plant. Also, the width of the stem that you choose should be similar to a pencil.
Another point to remember is that the most effective cuttings generally come from the sides of a rose bush. Now, remove the flower buds or flowers along the stem you’ve cut. That’s because these tend to consume energy, and you would rather encourage the cutting to refocus all its energy on survival by creating new roots.
Note that in case you’re taking multiple cuttings, place them in a water container so that they stay hydrated until they’re propagated.
Remove all the leaves except for the two sets at the top of the stem. After this, cut the part just about those leaves. Just like the flowers, removing the extra leaves helps divert energy towards root production.
Using the pruners, make a fresh cut at the lower portion of the stem just under the stem node, that is, the spot where new growth takes place. Now, slice into the lower portion of the stem again, this time a quarter inch up, which will split the stem into four open quarters.
Remember that you should be extra cautious while making the cuts. I say this because once, I had accidentally cut more than was needed and naturally had to replace the stem with a fresh one.
Even though it’s not mandatory, Alice suggested that applying this hormone will help spur the new rose plant into developing more roots. Now, keep in mind that rooting hormones are available on the market in liquid, gel, and powder forms. But it’s best to go for the powder form when you’re dealing with roses.
Before you apply the hormone, you must moisten the split end of the stem cutting. Then dip it into the powdered hormone and shake off the excess.
Follow this by filling a small pot with about 6 inches of a specially formulated potting mix for roses. Next, make a hole in the potting medium and insert the cutting such that the split end is positioned downwards. At this point, I took extra care to ensure that the rooting hormone was not rubbed off.
After this is done, pack the soil surrounding the cutting and water it well.
Take a plastic wrap or bag and cover the cutting along with the pot loosely. Remember that the plastic shouldn’t touch the leaves remaining on the stem, as that can make them stay wet and ultimately lead to fungal disease. I’d suggest putting a stake in the pot as this helped hold the bag away from the leaves in the case of my plants.
Make sure the soil is moist until roots are produced, which generally takes about two weeks. Check by tugging on the cutting gently; if you sense some resistance, the roots have probably started forming. You can transplant this cutting into the ground or another pot immediately after the roots are firmly established.
Lastly, ensure that you harden off the rose before transplanting it outside.
I followed each of these steps meticulously and was guided by Alice throughout. And one fine morning, I was greeted by my beautiful rose plants that were in full bloom! The entire ambiance seemed enhanced by the bright red hue of the healthy flowers. Needless to say, I was more than delighted!
So, it’s time for you to try this method out. Do reach out to me in the comments section below if you have any more queries in this regard. I’ll surely help you out. See you soon, take care!
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