Another question. If they ARE Charlotte, how exactly is Charlotte classified? Is it a hybrid tea? I've seen it listed as an English Rose, whatever that really means. Or is it simply called a florists' rose? Thanks again! Also when should I put the cuttings into seperate pots? There are 16 of them in a long plastic tray planter.
Shelley

Are you seeing roots? Top growth does not mean that you have any roots developing yet. There is enough energy in the cane to send out leaves long before roots emerge.

I do not remove the old leaves. There is no reason to remove them unless they are moldy or dead. Until then, they are producing or storing energy for the plant.

I do not pot them up until there are really good roots developed, but I stick mine in separate cups to root them. The new roots are pretty fragile and easy to break off.

Cheers,
Michelle

HelpMeFind lists 4 different roses with the name Charlotte, including the Austin (English rose) and a fairly recent hybrid tea they indicate was specifically bred to produce good cut flowers. Their descriptions are sufficiently different that it should be easy enough to tell them apart from their blooms.

Michelle is right about the leaves. Early new growth is often not a good sign, but it's best to leave both new and old leaves alone so long as they're reasonably healthy looking and the cutting is able to take in enough water to keep the new leaves well hydrated. The cuttings expended a lot of energy to produce the new leaves and need some way of getting it back.

I realize this is no help with cuttings you get from a florist, but you can usually avoid the premature top growth problem with cuttings you take yourself by avoiding stems that look like they might already be thinking about gearing up to produce new leaves. Axillary buds that are fully dormant when the stem is cut from the plant will nearly always stay dormant until after the cutting has rooted, assuming at least one mature leaf is present. With some roses that repeat very rapidly this means you have to take the cutting when the bloom is at its prime, or even earlier, and not wait for the dead heading stage.

Here is a link that might be useful: Charlotte on HelpMeFind

Thanks Michelle and rosyone. Well I only removed the old leaves that were broken, or yellowing. I wish I had thought of clear plastic cups when I decided to try this. With limited space inside I wanted to get as many as I could in a small area. I did cut them when the blooms were very fresh, two days after we got them. One even has growth with thorns on it already. I am not patient by nature, but I WILL resist the urge to do anything with them for a few more weeks.
Shelley

Sorry Shelly, it is the Tantau version of Charlotte. always leave those leaves on also.

Shelly,

These are the pots I use for my cuttings. I think you'll see why I like these so much just by taking a peek at the site below

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1235945}}

Thanks Mike! Where can a person find cups like that? But wouldn't round ones help if you wanted to do the pop bottle top?
Shelley

I too, would love to know where you found those, Mike!!!