 | New Orleans
Botanical Garden | |
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Rose Propagation Tips
Collecting the material for cutting
The best time to collect cuttings is in the morning and from a well watered bush.
Cooler weather is better- success will be limited in the heat of summer
Choose a healthy bush, ideally no leaf spot, powdery mildew, spider mites.
Semi-hard wood - this is a stem that is stiff enough that it does not bend easily but not yet hard and woody, usually this year's growth. A good test of maturity is if the thorns break off easily. Stems that have just finished blooming are good. Heel cutting are very good .This is the place where a branching cane grows out of a main cane. Cut right up against the main cane. You can usually get multiple cuttings from one long cane.
Don't cut a cane with new growth from buds. Once the buds have started developing tender new growth you should wait until the new growth has matured and take cuttings then.
Identify and label with name and date - Most important! If you don't know what the rose is then identify it by owner, location, and description.
If you can't stick the cuttings right away keep them hydrated and cool.
Getting the cutting ready for sticking
Don't get your cuttings mixed up at this point - work on only one rose at a time especially if you have more than one person making cuttings.
Learn up from down - you can stick leafless cuttings and will on occasion be presented with a leafless cane. Thorns usually curve down but there are straight thorns and thornless roses so look for the leaf scars and buds. When the leaves fall off of a cane they leave a scar that looks like a line. There is a bud above each leaf scar. Sometimes the bud is nice and fat and ready to grow, sometimes it's dormant and no more than a little dot. Either way it's always on top of the leaf scar line.
Thorns, on or off? Depending on time and preference you can leave the thorns or remove them. I prefer to remove them, they get in the way and puncture fingers, and snag onto material which can cause the cuttings to be ripped out of their media. The easiest way to remove them is with gloved hands - just push sideways and break them off.
Buds - Growth hormones are concentrated about the buds so when you make your cutting you should cut right below a bud for the bottom of the cutting and right above a bud for the top of the cutting. The bottom cut should be a diagonal cut which maximizes surface area for rooting and makes it easier to tell top from bottom. The cutting should be 4" - 8" long, about the diameter of straw or pencil and usually should have one or more buds in between the top and bottom buds. It's possible to stick smaller, twiggier cuttings but it will take a longer time to get a mature plant.
Strip off all the leaves except for the ones at the very top of the cutting. Leaves are the food factory so you should always leave a few leaves. Leaves also transpire, or give off moisture, so you shouldn't have too many leaves, the cutting will not be able to support them. Photosynthesis takes place in the green stems and there is some stored energy in the stem - however and whatever the reason leafless cuttings do take so you should try them also.
With a knife or edge of your clipper remove a small strip (about 1/8 " wide and ½ to 1" long) of the green bark on both sides of the bottom of the cutting
Sticking the cutting
The media you use to stick your cuttings should hold moisture evenly and drain well. Coarse sand, perlite, commercial potting mixes (without fertilizer), florist's foam, fine chopped bark (soil conditioner) can all be used.
You can stick individual cuttings in the cells of a six pack or plug tray or in a plastic baggie or you can stick many cuttings in a larger pot. The larger pots have the advantage of not drying out as quickly but the individual cells are easier to transplant without disturbing the roots.
You should use a commercial rooting hormone. Dip the bottom end of the cutting in the hormone. If using powder tap off any excess.
Make starter holes in your media and stick the cuttings deep enough to be stable, 1 to 2 inches, and use your fingers to pack the media firmly around the base of the cutting.
Label each pot with name and date.
Caring for the cuttings
Keep the cuttings where they will receive bright light but not direct sun.
Keep moist, not soggy, and keep humidified.
Quite often the leaves turn yellow and fall off within a few days. If the cuttings are green they are still alive and can still make roots.
Pull out dead cuttings - stems are brown and definitely lifeless.
Patience - do not pull out cuttings to see if they are making roots, this can be fatal.
Bumping Up
Is it Ready? Check the date, there could be roots in 2 weeks but it often takes longer, up to 6 weeks. Look for new growth of leaves, look at bottom of pot for roots, give the cutting a gentle tug, if there are roots there will be firm resistance.
Individual cuttings in six-packs, plug trays, baggies should be gently removed from their pot - ideally the roots will hold the media together and the plug can be inserted into a hole of potting soil in a larger pot and then filled in. It should be deep enough to be stable - at least as deep as the soil line on the cutting and usually a little deeper to allow for settling. Make sure there is good soil contact around the roots but do not press downward to firm the soil around the cutting.
Pots with multiple cuttings - gently slide all the media and cuttings out of pot onto work table and gently shake the cuttings apart taking care not to damage roots. Do not let roots dry out. Proceed as above.
Match the size of the cutting to the size of the pot - 4" pot is usually suitable for cuttings. Exceptionally vigorous cuttings can go directly into gallons.
Make sure each individual plant has an identifying label. Do it now!
Restick any calloused cuttings that don't have roots. Make sure any cuttings are properly identified.
Feed and water your rose as you would any potted plant. Give it a week or so to recover from transplanting before you put it in direct sunlight. Don't let it dry out.
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