I want to take a few clippings off some rose bushes and transplant them. How do I do this properly?

Answer 1

The best canes are ones that have blooms on them, from the early stages of just opening, to those that have already started to wilt or drop petals. These are "softwood" cuttings, and are best for rooting. It's important not to take cuttings that are TOO new (haven't yet produced flower buds) because this growth is too fragile and will wilt. You can take softwood cuttings as long as your roses are blooming; whether it is early spring or late fall.

Make your cuttings about 4-8 inches long or long enough to include about four or more leaf nodes. The leaves near the bottom of the cutting will be stripped off, while two sets of leaves will be left at the top to support the cutting while it is rooting.

Take your cuttings about 1/4 of an inch beneath a leaf node. The lower nodes will be buried beneath the soil line. This will encourage roots to grow from these nodes.

Choose cuttings that are healthy, with no disease. They can be thin, or as large around as a pencil. Any larger and they will be harder to root, as the "skin" is thicker and the wood is harder.

Roses have their own hormones that reside in their growing tips that urge the rose to produce more growth. A rooting hormone gives an extra stimulus to the plant cutting to begin sending out new roots from the stem node. The hormone is not always necessary for the cutting to root, but it does give an advantage.

It can take anywhere from ten days to four months for a cutting to root, depending on the method you use, the time of year, and the quality and variety of cuttings.

A misting system is the quickest method for rooting. Baggies will take a little longer and will generally produce roots in about three to eight weeks. A sweater box with a clear lid can also make a small green house. A soil-less mix drains better than garden soil and achieves a moist, but not wet quality.

If the cuttings are inside, placing them on a source of heat such as your computer or on top of the refrigerator will encourage roots to grow faster. Air layering will take longer, possibly several months.

The type of cuttings will also effect this. Miniature roses are notoriously easy and quick to root, while Hybrid Teas are more difficult and sometimes take longer. Some Old Garden Roses will root readily and speedily, while others may seem nearly impossible to successfully propagate.

Many a cutting has been lost due to an eager gardener checking for roots. New growth on the cutting does not necessarily mean that the cutting has rooted. Cuttings can put out new growth and even attempt to bloom, before rooting. The only way to know for sure is to see some roots, or feel some resistance from roots in the soil.