Taking rose cuttings

Really easy. Just make sure the cuttings are the right way up when you stick them into the ground. Leave until there is growth evident, when you should then find roots and you can pot them up

I've tried to take cuttings of roses so many times with no success. Perhaps this year will be the year...?

I'm normally hopeless with cuttings. But I have had success with hardwood rose cuttings. Just make a few cuttings in autumn, stick them in the ground somewhere that won't be disturbed and leave them all winter. In spring some of them should have rooted. You don't need to use anything like rooting powder. It's so easy. I will now try semi-hardwood now as someone else has suggested.

However, can anyone advise how best to treat roses at this time of year? Mine are looking okay but not wonderful.

Excuse ignorance but do you mean the old brown growth areas when you refer to hardwood? As opposed to the green younger shoots ? I have never tried getting cuttings off roses but would like to give it a go. It is late Autumn here but our roses are still in bud. It never gets that cold here, about 5 C at this time overnight.

As I understand it nanna8 semi hard wood cuttings are 'bendable', but not fragile enough to snap.
Hardwood is stiff apparently.
I'm trying out semi hardwood cutting now, and if they don't take, will try hardwood in the autumn.

Thank you Wwmk2 gives me confidence to know you have had success😊

skydancer thanks for the instructions, I will try that come the autumn.
I just fancied seeing if the semi hw cutting would work, as they are supposed to root on about 6 weeks.
As for feeding Rose's perhaps a seaweed drench would help?

AskAlice Perhaps you would like to try with me and we can compare results?*🤔

Thanks for the replies🌹(a rose for us rose lovers)

We moved into a house with many roses bushes in the established garden. My husband revamped the garden entirely and the roses had to go 😲

Because the woman who had lived here since 1970 clearly loved her roses, I took several cuttings - with guidance from YouTube - and a number of them took! I was so excited. It was quite easy.

I was recently given roses with a beautiful scent by a friend and have taken cuttings from them too, I'm on a roll. 🌹

Years ago , my lovely elderly neighbour showed me how to propagate roses in sand .
She cut semi - ripe stems into nine or ten inch lengths below a leaf node and put them into pre -moistened sand after dipping in hormone rooting powder .
I tried it and was successful creating enough cuttings to make a thick hedge around my garden .

A couple of years ago , I tried propagating roses using the potato method .
I think that someone on Gransnet said that I'd grow nice potatoes !
How right they were : I had some very healthy potato plants and not one cutting took !
I've also tried to root cuttings in water without success .

There's conflicting advice on the gardening websites that I looked at .
One said early summer and another late summer .
I've done them all year round and haven't noticed any difference .
I tend to take cuttings after pruning either my roses or neighbour's roses .

And here are my tips :
Choose cuttings which are semi ripe .
Hardwood will take but are slow .
If you can bend the cutting it's too immature .
Take off most of the leaves .
Use sharp secateurs (sterilise the blade in 10% bleach in water) and plunge the cuttings straight into water until you can plant them in a growing medium .
Cut the stems to be dipped into rooting powder at an angle to maximise the area .
Make sure that your growing medium is very well drained or they will rot off .
I use at least 50 % horticultural sand .
They take better on the edge of a pot .
Wet the medium .
Dip each cutting in hormone rooting powder , shake off the excess and using a pencil or dibber make a hole in the medium and plant .
This year , I'll try covering each cutting with an old plastic bottle to ensure more warmth .

I think that it's fun to do even if you have some failures .
Good luck .

Namsnanny- it's a deal!! My roses are looking lovely at the moment with lots of buds ready to open so I think I'll leave it a while, mid to late summer or Autumn (or both!).

Will let you know how they go...

This post has inspired me to order some root powder.
I have just watched this video, so I'll see what happens.
youtu.be/Xw4d-s9N8zE?feature=shared

Bear in mind he's in America so the months he talks about probably won't apply to the UK.

Esmy your method sounds foolproof. What other material( s ) do you use with the 50% Hort. sand please ?
So far my attempts go black and don't root. Thank you

I try and take cuttings when people give me roses. Sometimes they take.
Some of them though it's illegal as you can't buy those roses in this country.

One of the reasons roses are grafted is that the modern roses are not by very vigorous. The root stock is normally the dog rose which then “lends” its vigour to the graft. Have you tried grafting? It’s not very hard.
Having said that, all the best.

Hi bobismum ,

When my friend and neighbour taught me to do cuttings I had a higher success rate -almost a 100% .
These days , I do have some failures .
I think that rose cuttings need more heat to strike - hence my idea about plastic bottles .
I might try some on the window sill .
Maybe the sand that I used was better - I don't know .
I think that my main problem is my cuttings being disturbed and uprooted by foxes and cats .

I use top soil mixed with sand as a medium .
Some people use
Perlite .
I could use compost in which case seed compost would be better .
If the drainage isn't sufficient they turn brown then black .

I have so many pots on the patio that I can't do an experiment -no room !
I shall one day .

I think that if you do gardening then , a diary is essential .

People always want their roses pruned so there's never a shortage of cuttings !
I prune mine in the Autumn , but I'll take cuttings in the Spring .
Sometimes , I'm asked to take cuttings from someone's rose due to it having great sentimental value ie : it was their mother's .

At the moment , I'm trying to create a hedge from the most prolific rose in my father's garden .
It's incredibly beautiful - a soft old fashioned pink with a lovely scent .
It's actually planted almost underneath a Camellia - needs transplanting , but I can't access it !

Have fun with your rose cuttings and let me know how you get on .

I actually have leaves on one of my cuttings!🍂👍

I tried a photo but no go for some reason

Oh! There it is 🤣

Namsnanny -looks like a take !

After reading this post I've been inspired to try to take cuttings from my roses.
I have some beauties -
Blessings
New Dawn
The lady of Shallot - also others but I don't know their names.
I'm going to try the way that Esmay has explained.
Namsnanny - how long was it before that cutting had leaves?

Most roses are grafted onto a briar rootstock that is much more vigorous, most modern roses dont have a strong enough natural root.
I have no experience but growing a rootstock from one of the root shoots you get then graft onto that might work better.

That's interesting Katie590

How long before that cutting had leaves? ...
I planted the cutting the day I started this thread. That's why I was so pleased, it was only a short time.
But... the cutting did have a rose on it that I had in water for a week before. When the flower was over I cut it off and used the stem as a cutting. So presumably the stem was full of water and able to produce leaves.
Now I just have to keep it going till it grows healthy roots.

Esmay ... let's hope it doesn't get mould or turn black 🤞

Starting with semi-hardwood cuttings in early summer sounds promising!
Keep them moist and patient, roots take time to grow.

Yes DrBenjaminMc good advice be patient.

Has anyone grafted onto a briar root stock as Katie590 suggested?

Because I was wondering if the cuttings will be naturally weaker or slower to reach maturity, for the reasons she mentions?