If you enjoy growing your roses from stem cuttings or, you are just learning how to, you will enjoy these tips on growing roses from stem cuttings. These tips will help increase your success rate and speed up the time in which it takes for your cuttings to root.
- Always, always, always, use sterile tool equipment and soil when growing any plant, especially roses from cuttings. Bacteria and diseases will slow and even prevent roots from forming. Wash tools and pots with water container 2 caps full of bleach and allow to dry.
- Take your cuttings in the morning or late evening when roses are the least stressed. Hot summer days will dry the plant out and delay rooting. Using early morning or late evening cuttings will help to insure the roses are well hydrated.
- Use a rooting hormone. It’s not a requirement but it does help. It will encourage rooting sooner as well as ward off root rot, damp off and other diseases.
- Cover your cuttings with clear or white plastic bags or containers to create a greenhouse effect. This will help to keep the humidity higher which will give a much higher success rate when growing roses from cuttings.
- Using 3 parts peat moss and 1 part perlite as a soil medium will help to retain moisture while also providing needed drainage.
- Mist your cuttings several times a day with a water bottle. This too, will help keep humidity levels high.
- Never pull out your rose cuttings to see if they have rooted. This will injure any cuttings that have rooted. If you must know, lightly pull at the stems to see if they feel snug. If so, they may be in the process of rooting. Also, look for new growth to appear. This is the best sign of roots. For more curious, impatient growers use clear pots or cups with good drainage so that you can see when your roots have formed.
- If growing your cuttings indoors, make sure that you harden them off. Quickly moving outdoors can cause them to burn, dry out too fast, or go into shock.
- Protect all new cuttings from excessive cool or hot temperatures. You may want to keep newly rooted rose cuttings indoors or in a greenhouse their first winter. If you have already planted them insure that you mulch, wrap or use another method to keep them warm.
- Don’t fertilize new rose cuttings until after they have put on new growth. Then use a liquid fertilizer at half recommended strength to insure that you do burn the new roots.
For more information, including step by step instructions on growing roses from cuttings then read How to Grow Roses from Stem Cuttings.
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