OT: anyone rooting roses?

[SarinaP Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SarinaP]

Thanks to this forum, I've branched out into trying to root some of my climbing roses. I've got a gorgeous velvety Don Juan that is really really vigorous, despite the inchworms and my neglect. My success rate so far is rather low, about 50/50 with most of the die-offs happening within the first two weeks.

Does anyone else root roses? Any tips? This is the parent plant--a 5 year old climber that gets plenty of sun in the front yard.

[Visceral Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Visceral]

I am trying to root figs using the 3 cup method. I had leftover rooting mix and cups though, so I put a single rose cutting in a cup and so far it is growing leaves and looks healthy. I don't see any roots yet though after 2 weeks.

[SarinaP Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SarinaP]

Good to know, thank you for the response! Same here, the buds are growing and will leaf out soon, I think, but half of them died from mold for me so far.

[LouNeo Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close LouNeo]

I am also dabbling in rose cuttings but not making a ton of tremendous success. I decided because I had so many fig cuttings I was going to go the long term route with my rose cuttings and roll them in wet newspaper and a couple plastic bags and let them sit. I open then from time to time to air out and add more water. Some are rooting so far but not done much with them.

[Sarahkt Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Sarahkt]

I've tried rooting rose cuttings, mostly Color Magic, but no dice. They showed no change for a week or two, then mold. Rooting set up was similar to what I'd do for fig cuttings.

[don_sanders Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close don_sanders]

You may be able to get better results with air layers if you have easy access to the mother and can wait until spring.

[rayrose Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rayrose]

You have to have a mist propagation set up, in order to root most roses and they must be actively growing.
Dormant cuttings do not root. You can also bud them onto rootstock.

[SarinaP]

Excellent points--the roses were definitely actively growing when I took the cuttings.

[Altadena Mara Veteran Find all posts View Profile Close Altadena Mara]

Roses here is SoCal really don’t go dormant so pruning time is the best time for me to start cuttings. The time of the year is important. In other parts of the country, start them just when they are breaking dormancy.
When I was a serious rosarian I had good luck rooting rose cuttings with Dip and Grow, putting several cuttings in no less size than one gallon pots with top quality potting soil, keeping the soil moist. At least two nodes should be underground. Sometimes I would cover them with a humidity bag if the weather were especially dry. Sometimes I even used bottom heat.
I have a number of plants growing in fifteen gallon pots, so now I’m lazy and just take the rose scions treated with whatever rooting formula is open and stick the scions around the circumference of the fifteen gallon pots, not letting the soil dry out. More scions are lost, but even if only ten percent root, that’s okay. The pot size seems to be critical for maintaining moisture.
Wet floral blocks that are used for flower arranging work well too. They can be cut into smaller sizes for smaller scions. You soak the block over night to hydrate it, cut it in quarters or sixes, use a rooting formula dip and stick the scions in each block, keeping them moist with bottom water, perhaps adding a humidity cover unless they start molding.
I’ve even tried rooting them in apples. None rooted! There are better ways now.
Air layering is the most reliable method if you own the parent bush. But if you have a lot of prunings, experiment to see what works best for you and the roses.
Some rose varieties are fussy and will only root with a mist system with bottom heat. But others are easy and will root with simple efforts.
Best of luck with it.

[SarinaP]

Thank you for all of the advice! I'll have to work on the misting vs. humidity covers.

[Gina Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Gina]

I've rooted a great many roses. They are more difficult than figs, but it can be done. I've used both a misting table, and no mist but in plastic bags - not the same as the fig baggy method. A misting table is better, but not everyone has that.

I did use a rooting hormone, and I made slight filet cuts on both sides of the bottom of the cuttings. For me, the most important was making sure the cutting (and its leaves) was very young - as in taking a cutting either before bloom with the unopened bud, or slightly after bloom. The younger the branch, the more natural hormones within.

I was once told by an old rosarian to make sure the mix was well-firmed around the cutting, and I always did that. I preferred to root in clear plastic cups so I could see if roots were forming. I used half perlite, half new planting mix. Moist, not wet.

And they need light. The trick is to give them enough light - but not fry them from the heat (if in plastic bags). Spring seemed the most successful season. And as others have said, some varieties are just harder to root than others.