It's pretty much a given they will be too small to get through the next winter. Winter protection in the east is always a game of matching the winter protection to the type of winter that arrives. Great fun because you have to start playing in November. Rooted cuttings aren't even reliable if you guess right.

First the time line. Right now is the main rooting season. Roses stuck now will most likely root in about 8 weeks. That gives you a newly rooted cutting at the end of August. So it has maybe another 8 weeks to grow before frost. IMO, getting those babies through the first winter is the hardest part of rooting cuttings.

Since I root roses under lights in the basement, most of them just move back in under the lights at the end of October. It's cool enough and damp enough down there that spider mites are manageable. Hardier varieties sometimes go in the unheated, attached garage. They often prefer going dormant, and don't need the extra size from growing over the winter as much.

Interesting.... I have both the lights (but not set up anywhere yet) and a garage that is good. Maybe they will do better inside!

Thanks for the reply and for the information!
-Les

You could also make yourself a cold frame to store these. If I had to wait 8 weeks for roots, I would have thrown out that variety. Depending on how you are rooting, you should see roots from 17 to 28 days. Some of my "Buck" roses root in as little as 14 days (Earth Song in particular). Shi-Un and Royal Amethyst, both HT's, root by the 23rd day always. Admiral Rodney (HT) roots in 22 days. Abracadabra (HT) is the only rose that takes longer than 25 days for me, and they usually come in right at the 28th day mark.

A cold frame is an idea. I'll check google on how to put one together. I want these to "winter over" (domant etc) properly. Fear keeping them inside will throw off the cycle (kept coral bells in for the winter one year and didn't get a bloom the next year).

Hoping my clippings grow quickly. Am trying some in water too... read on another thread where a couple of people managed that successfully (or at least up until the transplanting into the soil).

Thanks for your reply!
-Les

I am a newbie to rooting roses - I have just started 4 different roses, so I may be getting ahead of myself :)

I have a small cold frame and if I am lucky enough that my roses root, this sounds like a great way to over winter them. BUT.... wont they need water if they are not exposed to it? ~ aka snow/rain ~ They are in little 6" pots as most of the posts said small 8" to 10" cuttings put into baggies (couldn't find bigger baggies) and it doesn't seem to me that they could do without all winter...

Please correct me if I am wrong and/or other advice :)
Marie

I got only two rooted last year out of about 60 lol. I brought them into the sunroom for the winter, they hadn't rooted yet, lost a couple potting them up (I put pepsi bottles on after I had potted them up with the caps off for about 2 weeks, that is what to do), hardened them off this spring, now they are in the ground. Two have shot out nice basals.

The other thing I did was stick some in rooting powder (prepare the same as you are), then just stick them in the ground outside and put a mason jar over them. A third one rooted that way, stuck about Aug 13, just be careful to take the jar off early in the spring when you see them start to leaf out and pop it back on if the temps nosedive.

I think I would have had better luck with the mason jar method if I had put them in the shade, these got too much sun on the east side.

I've got lights now but don't have them set up yet.

All the better if you can build a cold frame. I don't have a good spot for one.

Marie,
You are not wrong. You'd have to water pretty consistently since some cold frames can get real warm during daylight hours. I do not use a cold frame, but look for posts here from Michele, who built one last year.

Les,
I'd be flabbergasted if you got any roses to make it using water.

I too will be surprised if I get a single root from the ones in water BUT (!) after reading about successes on another GW thread; (Link To Said Thread) I had to try it!

Still thinking about a cold frame -- we'll see how money I make selling paintings in my next art show. That's my only income at the moment.

Thanks again for all the great suggestions and the wonderful offer to help!
-Les

I have been using the method in the link for years. The postscript is important: repotting into larger containers until the root system is large. Otherwise, the wee plants take a while to grow to any size. Too, I would recommend cutting them back before they bloom to encourage more canes.
Steve.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rooting and Overwintering