Can You Root Rose Bush Cuttings?

Making the Right Cut

• Roses root better from a cutting that had an old bloom attached to the end and was made in the fall or winter. Try to find a cutting that is not old wood that is woody or new wood that is too green and limp. A good cutting for rooting should be about 6 inches long and have two or three sets of leaves. Once you have taken the cuttings from the plant, immediately wrap then in a damp paper towel or place in a container of water so they cannot dry out.

Preparing the Rooting Medium

• While it is possible to root the cuttings by planting them directly in the planting bed, the survival rate using this method is low. They are best rooted in new potting soil placed in a container with drainage holes at the bottom. The potting soil should be soaked with water and then allowed to drain so it is damp but not soaking wet. Use a pencil or your finger to make a hole 1 inch deep into the damp potting soil. This is so you can place the cutting with the end covered with rooting hormone powder in the planting medium without losing the hormone powder.

Sticking the Cuttings

• Pick up a cutting and make a fresh cut just under a leaf node, or the place where the leaves sprout from the stem, and remove the leaves from that leaf node. Put the newly cut end of the stem into some dry powdered rooting hormone you placed in a shallow dish or small bag. Be sure the cut end is covered with the rooting hormone powder. Then place the end of the cutting covered in powdered rooting hormone into the planting medium hole you made earlier, and close the soil around the stem end of the cutting with your fingers. Snip off the old bloom or end of cutting above the first leaf node under the old bloom or end with a pair of sharp scissors. You should leave at least one pair of leaves on the cutting but no more than three pair of leaves.

Growing On

• Set the planted cutting in a warm place (65 to 75 degrees F) in bright light but not direct sunlight. Keep the planting soil moist but not wet for 6 to 8 weeks until rooted. When watering, only apply moisture to the soil instead of directly to the cutting to decrease the chance of mildew forming on the cutting.