I have buds on my cuttings - what to do?

9 years ago

I didn't prune my St. Swithun climbing rose until mid-March this year, however, I had to cut off so many good thick canes that I chopped some up stuck them in pots in the hope that I might get one or two viable plants.

Altogether, I have about 20 cuttings, three of which died so I threw them away. The others all put on leaves but I wasn't sure whether that meant it was the stored energy in the canes that caused the leafing out or whether, perhaps, they may have grown roots.

It's now 4 months since I put the cuttings and their pots in the shade of a tree and I check them every few days to ensure that the soil stays damp.

Today when I checked I was amazed to see that one pot of three cuttings has one cutting that has developed two buds - surely this would indicate that the particular cutting has developed roots? I'm not sure Ã¯Â¿Â½.

Anyhow, my question is - 'what do I do now'??? I'm thinking that it can't be good for the cutting to be allowed to flower as it is in a mixture of sand and soil so there is very little nutrient value available to the cutting.

I would really appreciate any advice

Many thanks
Tricia

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Comments (8)

Kippy
9 years ago
Sounds like got some new roses!
thonotorose
9 years ago
Pinch those buds off. And separate the cuttings very soon. I have had luck using a serrated knife and sawing straight down on the root ball to divide each cutting. I removed it from its pot first, cut apart and immediately replanted.
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tuderte
Original Author
9 years ago
Just a couple of quick questions .... I've pinched off the two buds. When I separate the cuttings should I put each one into a pot about the size of the pot I'm taking them from? Also, should I use a mixture of soil and sand (like I used for the cuttings) or should I now use a good quality potting mix (which I use for roses that I keep in pots)?

Many thanks
Tricia
seil zone 6b MI
9 years ago
Removing the buds was a good thing. Now the plant should spend more energy on the roots than the flowers and that's what you want.

Yes, put each cutting in a separate pot. Usually I go to 1 gallon pots for the first step and go up from there by how fast they seem to be growing. You can use the slice method like suggested or you can try to very carefully tease the roots apart. Either way you will probably lose a few.

Yes, use a good potting soil now. You want the plant to have good nutrients to grow on. You can fertilize it but be very careful and use a WEAK solution, not full strength. You do not want to burn those new tender roots.

Congrats, they look nice!
tuderte
Original Author
9 years ago
Many thanks for your quick response Seil, it was with some trepidation that I approached separating my three cuttings, however, I needn't have worried - my ÃÂ¾ sand to ÃÂ¼ soil ratio meant that the cuttings separated very easily when I put the pot on its side and rolled it on the pavers to loosen the mix. All three have lovely, healthy looking roots so I've re-potted them and popped them back under the shade of the tree with the other cuttings that aren't as advanced as these. Now I'll keep my fingers crossed that they come through next Winter without any problems and I'll plant them in the ground next Spring. Would that be an appropriate time frame - basically, 12 months from taking the cuttings?

Here's what they look like after potting up.

Tricia
Seeingreen
9 years ago
yay very exciting!!!
Seeingreen
9 years ago
yay very exciting!!!
seil zone 6b MI
9 years ago
Good job! They look great! Now let them grow this season and protect them extra, super dupper well this winter and they should be large enough next spring to plant out in the ground. I know in zone 9 your winters shouldn't be too harsh but it never hurts to be cautious with these tender new plants.