Propagating roses from cuttings is a great way to expand your collection of plants and even start a free rose garden. These precious shrubs can be expensive to buy, so learning how to take cuttings is one of the most economical gardening ideas for growing in your garden beds and pots.
Unfortunately, many gardeners have tried and failed to grow roses from cuttings, leading them to believe that it is a complicated endeavor. However, once you learn the easiest method, you will be one step closer to knowing all the secrets of professional rose growers. All you need is time and patience.
Inexperienced gardeners often make the mistake of taking rose cuttings too early in the growing season. Young “softwood” cuttings are the quickest way to propagate roses, but they are often the least successful method for home growers. Softwood rose cuttings are very delicate and require a lot of care to grow into healthy plants.
Semi-ripe cuttings taken in late summer and early fall are much easier to propagate. These cuttings use the current season’s growth after it has had a chance to mature and become healthy, producing healthier plants.
Hardwood cuttings taken in late fall are even more vigorous. They grow slowly but do not require protection and can largely be ignored until spring. Semi-ripe cuttings and hardwood cuttings can be propagated in the same way.
Remember that growing roses from cuttings is a numbers game – you can’t just do it once or twice and expect it to work. Take lots of good quality cuttings from each plant, follow our step-by-step instructions and you’re almost guaranteed to have success.
1. Take your cuttings
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Take rose cuttings early in the morning when the stems are still moist and plump.
When selecting a stem to cut, make sure it is young compared to the current year. If in doubt, try breaking off a thorn to see if it comes off easily and cleanly; if it does, it is ripe.
Choose a nice, straight stem that is about 8-10 inches (20-25cm) long. Make sure the stem is free of damage or disease. It’s okay if it has a wilted flower at the end. Ideally, the stem should be about the thickness of a pencil. If the stem is thinner, just choose the best available, as a thin stem is less likely to grow into a healthy plant.
Use sharp, sterilized pruning shears to cut at least three branches from the plant.
If you are not planting your cuttings immediately, place them in a Ziploc bag to retain moisture and freshness. Plant them within 24 hours.
2. Prepare cuttings for planting
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Prune each section at the top and bottom. Cut just above a bud point – or node – at the top of the stem, and just below a node at the bottom. The top of the stem should be cut at a 45° angle, to aid water flow, and the bottom should be cut flat.
Remove all the leaves from the bottom two-thirds of the stem – you only need to leave the top, and even that is not important. Also remove any thorns by pressing on the sides. Wear thick gloves to avoid injury.
Using hand pruning shears or a small knife, score some of the nodes below the soil line: this will help encourage roots to grow from those points.
An optional step is to dip the base of the stem in rooting hormone gel or powder. Many experienced gardeners skip this step because it is not really necessary. However, if this is your only chance to reproduce Grammy’s beloved rose bush, it will not hurt your chances.
3. Plant the cuttings in a pot
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Choose a pot of suitable size – a 1 gallon (3.8L) pot about 8 inches (20cm) high is ideal for three cuttings, or you can add five cuttings to a larger pot. Fill the pot with well-draining compost mixed with perlite or vermiculite. Water the pot thoroughly before planting.
Insert the stem almost all the way in, leaving a short section with the top leaf above the soil line. Place the stem toward the edge of the pot, rather than in the middle, with three evenly spaced cuttings per pot.
Choose a location that is protected from midday sun. While not necessary, you can partially bury the container in the ground to protect it from wind and help retain moisture.
4. Care for cuttings
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All you need to do to care for your cuttings is make sure the soil doesn’t dry out, then wait until spring.
Check your cuttings around April. If they were successful, they will develop buds at the top and you can see roots growing out of the holes in the bottom of the pot.
When new growth appears at the top, prune it back to about 2 inches (5cm). This will encourage the rose to grow new growth from the base, creating a healthier plant. This is also one of the ways to help roses grow faster.
At this stage, you can transfer the cuttings to individual pots. To do this, remove the compost pile from the pot and gently separate the cuttings, retaining as much of the roots as possible. Plant each cutting in a pot filled with well-draining potting soil and water thoroughly. Place in a sunny spot.
Once the cuttings have grown well in their new pots, you can plant them in their permanent location in the garden.
Enjoy watching your cuttings grow into beautiful free rose bushes!
