Growing Roses From Cuttings
Growing roses from cuttings is not nearly as hard as one may think it might be. Although many admire their rose bushes, the thought of rooting their favorite rose from cuttings seems to scare them. We will discuss how to grow roses from cuttings from the standpoint of easiest ways of using cuttings for rose propagation and then cover a few of the harder ways.
Growing roses from cuttings in water, for instance, can be done with any type of rose from the hardy shrub roses to the littlest of hybrid tea roses. If you have a rose that you like, cuttings can be certainly taken and rooted.
What you will need to begin the process:
* Pots - plastic or clay
* Fertilized soil or artificial soil
* Anti-desiccant - This is a spray found in the gardening section
* Water - distilled is best
* Heating mats for pots to be set on
* Gardening shears or clippers
* Gardening gloves
Knowing when your rose plant is at the right age for growing roses from cuttings will go a long way in helping the cuttings to root. If you have a rose bush hold one of the stems in your hands being careful of the thorns. Now, with your thumb push on one of the thorns. Did the thorn bend and then slowly come back towards your thumb? This means the plant is still too green and although it may root it may take like what seems like centuries. If you take your thumb and push it with your thumb and the thorn pops off this is just right.
The cuttings will do best if cut in the morning. This seems to be because in the morning the plants have their water and are not stressed at all by the heat and sun. A plant that is happy seems much more willing to root then those that are stressed. And this does make perfect sense. Take the cuttings you would like to root.
Growing roses from cuttings can be like surgery. After you have the cuttings that you want you can then go to your gardening area where your supplies are. Clean up your cuttings and spray the bottom area with an anti-desiccant. What anti-desiccant does is hold the moisture in. One of the better-known products is named "Wilt Pruf". Avid gardeners have heard of this product being used on trees and shrubs in the northern winters to protect against drying and cold. It also works wonders when trying to get the cuttings to grow.
When growing roses from cuttings, it is very important not to crowd them in pots. If you crowd them you are only asking for a number of diseases and fungi to grow. For a three-inch pot usually one cutting is good. Anything more and you could be asking for a problem. Air circulation is very important so crowding them too many in a pot won't allow air to circulate around them.
After getting the cuttings into pots place them on a heating mat set at about 72 degrees. This will keep the soil nice and warm and encourage growth. Be careful not to over water; you might try spraying them with a nice warm room temperature mist seems to work well.
In about 3-4 weeks you should have roots. Sometimes it takes a bit longer so try to have patience. Being a true rose lover you will be greatly rewarded for your time and effort in growing roses from cuttings.
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