Propagating Wood's Rose

Division Propagation

• Division provides the most reliable means of propagating new Wood's rose plants. The process involves digging up a root sucker from the base of an established Wood's rose plant in spring and transplanting it into a nursery container filled with sandy or loamy soil. Once potted, the root sucker will expand upon its existing network of roots and will be fully self-sufficient within just a few weeks. It is a highly successful means of creating new specimens, and the resulting plant will faithfully express all of the positive characteristics of the parent plant.

Seed Propagation

• Unlike hybrid rose varieties, Wood's rose propagates reliably from seed and will produce a plant that closely resembles the parent plant in growth habit, flower shape and color. The seeds must be extracted from the ripe rose hips in autumn and sown immediately or stored in a dry, airtight container until spring. While the seeds will sprout reliably once potted 1/16-inch-deep in loamy soil, it is best to expose them to alternating warm and cool temperatures to encourage a higher rate of germination.

Hardwood Cutting Propagation

• Hardwood cutting propagation is slightly less successful than other methods of producing new Wood's rose plants, but it will work if the cuttings are taken in winter and treated with commercially prepared rooting hormone. It is best to take 8- to 10-inch-long cuttings from the center of a healthy branch, dip the bottom half in rooting hormone and pot it to half its length in a nursery container filled with coarse sand. Roots will appear four to six months later, if the sand is kept lightly moist and the cuttings are kept sheltered from direct sunlight.

Softwood Cutting Propagation

• While not as common as other propagation methods, softwood cuttings taken from a Wood's rose in summer will root if treated with commercially prepared rooting hormone and kept under bright, moist conditions. Choose 6- to 8-inch-long cuttings from the tip of a leafy, actively growing Wood's rose plant in early summer. Remove all the leaves from the bottom half of each cutting, dip the leafless portion in rooting hormone and pot the cuttings in a nursery container filled with a mix of one-half loam and one-half coarse sand. Roots will appear in two to three months if the rooting mixture is kept lightly moist and the cuttings are exposed to bright, filtered sunlight.