Wow, so glad you got great results, Annie! Out of 10 different roses I tried to root last Fall, only got two Climbing Pinkies, am useless at trying to root!

My Dublin Bay is still young, but is covered with roses, think it will be a favorite as time goes by.

Annie, what a super talent you have! Would love to be able to do that, but the few attempts I've made haven't been successful. way to go, Annie!

kay

Sounds like you need to give an online class on rooting roses, girlfriend.
As you know Diane has a knack, but I have yet to get one to root.

Just curious Annie, how did you do it? I've had some success, just stuck the piece of rose into a pot of soil and voila!! No rooting hormone needed. But am curious as to what your technique is??

Hi sweetannie4u,..you certainly have green fingers,..i also would be interested in your successful method.

Every year after blooms finish i prune my roses,.. i keep most of the younger shoots for cuttings,..i do the same again after the frost the next spring,..taking the cutting at an angle just below a bud,..cut the tip of the cutting,..dip it in rooting powder and plant it to the side of the pot.,..75% of the cuttings take root be it with the winter cuttings or spring cuttings,..i would love to be 100% successful or close with rooting cuttings.

Philip

Ha! Ha! Ha!

I AM NOT scientific about what I do in the garden. I don't measure, cut stems at angles, dip in rooting hormone or fuss over my plants.

I live in zone 7 in a temperate climate. Some years we have horrific winters and some years they are comparatively mild. Some years we have ample rainfall and snowfall, and some years we have severe droughts and horribly hot springs and summers. The only constant in Oklahoma is the wind. But, it makes no difference. My method is always the same. I start taking cuttings in February and just set the pots right out in the garden in a semi-sheltered area, but where they can get some winter sunlight. I take more cuttings in Spring, but I put those in partial sun (early morning sunshine only)

I do NOT use the so-called "potting soil" mixtures that you buy. that contain fertilizers, like MiracleGrow. They are not soil, but shredded, partially decomposed pine, redwood, or fir trees, depending upon your locale, and additives that supposedly help hold moisture. I buy the cheap stuff from WalMart that does not contain fertilizers and is mostly sand. It contains COMPOSTED manures and humus - even some small rocks. To that , I sometimes mix in some of my own garden dirt. No exact measurements, just til it looks and smells good.

I cut off a 4-6 inch (again, I don't measure) rose branch and stick it into the soil in a gallon-sized pot *, press firmly and water it in. Then set the pot where they will set until they are rooted. I water them as often as they need so that they don't totally dry out - but not soggy - just keeping them damp. * A soggy pot means roses rot. (ha ha ha)
* Note: in rooting cuttings, size matters - use gallon-sized pots or larger. This allows them ample room for developing root systems, plus they don't dry out so fast.

I don't really do much thinking about the whole process, just do it.
That's it.

One of the first indications that they are rooting is when the leaves drop off and your are left with a bare, but green stick. Don't mess with it or disturb it at this point. When new leaves begin to appear, you will know it is forming 'root hairs'.. These are very, very tiny and if you disturb the "stick", you will likely break off those very fine root hairs. So leave them alone. Nature knows just what to do without any help from us, thank you very much!
In a month, you can check to see if it has rooted by carefully moving the tip or tugging on the stick. It should resist and not budge. Now, leave it alone other than the occasional waterings.
I do not give up unless the sticks turn black, at which point, I know for a certainty that they did not take root.

Approximately one in five does not root. But, that is not a hard fast rule. How easily they root depends a great deal upon the kind of rose. Some root easier than others. Some root all by themselves!
The old garden roses are the easiest to root, but even that is not a hard fast rule.

I leave them in that pot until they are ready to go directly into the garden.

Year one - The following year you can move the pots to a more sunny location, but protected from hot afternoon sun and strong drying winds. Continue watering.
Add top dressings of compost from time to time to maintain the proper nutrient levels in the soil.
Do not mix it in - just sprinkle it around on top of the potting mixture.

Year two - The following spring, start feeding them diluted rose food ."Rose Tea", I call it. I use MiracleGrow or Jackson & Perkins rose food. Keep the "rose tea" weak at first until they grow to some size. Continue monthly feedings (or use time-release fertilizer). Don't over do - too strong a solution will burn their delicate new roots.
Continue to add top dressings of compost into the pots once a month to maintain the soil nutrients. Again - do not mix it in. Just sprinkle it on top. As you water, the nutrients will wash down into the soil to the roots.

Again, this is not a hard, fast rule, but an approximate explanation of what and how I propagate roses from cuttings.

Please post your experiences with rooting roses on the forum. If you have any questions, I will TRY to offer some suggestions.

~Annie

I'm going to try this next year, as think I've been "babying" mine too much by using the probably too rich potting soil, baggies, in the house, trying for the greenhouse effect.

Thanks for the lesson!

I have been using too good of soil.

Thanks, girl friend.

Ya'll are so welcome!

You needn't wait until next year to get started. I take cuttings all through spring and summer and then start up again in February.
I set my new pots under my Oakleaf Hydrangea bush on the east side of it , so when it gets watered, the water drips down into the pots. The ground stays moist and cool underneath that bush. They seem to like it under there.

Good luck!
XXOO