Hi Jerome,

What are you uring for a rooting medium?
I had success building a "sandbox" using concrete blocks around the perimeter and then filled using peat and sand mix. This was in a spot that doesnt get a lot of direct sunlight, but but quite a bit of filtered light. I then watered in well, covered with a large plastic cup (you can get them at costco or probably a dollar store). Some I would lose to them turning brown. I can say I had a lot more successes than failures.

One thing I noted was that if I pulled the cutting out to check for roots and there were none their ability to root was decreased greatly. Just moving them to check affected their production of roots and IF they did root it took forever in contrast with cuttings from the same rose if I could wait 3 weeks to check for roots (rather than 10 days.. yes I am antsy to see roots LOL) the ones I left alone would have good root growth while the ones I disturbed were lucky if they even had callous.

Everyone's climate is different but thought I would share with you what I experienced. I always took softwood cuttings in June after first flush, but this year I am going to try using semi-softwood cuttings after pruning this month and see what happens :)

Marleah

Thanks Marleah. For rooting medium I have tried various potting soils (I forget the brandname...something like "sunsoil"?) I have used sand, I have tried a local nursery's potting mix (peat and pumice mostly) I have used "SuperSoil".

I think your advice about waiting and not disturbing the cuttings is very good. I have never removed one to "see if there are roots"....but I do check too often, and perhaps the motion disturbs the plant. Thanks for the advice.

Jerome

I would also think if the cuttings are turning brown at the base you have the rooting medium too wet.

I know some who root roses in straight perlite.
Thats why I started using sand and peat mix. It worked well, kept in moisture but didnt make things soggy (I used more sand than peat I think)

Just try a few different ways, you will find one that works for you. The baggie method failed for me miserably. I think I never got one to root that way.

Also some roses are just plain hard to root. I have one that I always try because I have NEVER successfully rooted one. It is a mystery.

A lot of times when you see swelling at the buds or even new leaves it is more than likely due to the stored energy in the canes. New leaves are not a true sign of roots. I think if you can leave a plant for 3 months if you started it early this spring and it still looks good chances are you have roots then.

Marleah

Thanks for the good advice Marleah. I am going to try that peat mix...and try to wait more patiently! :-)

Jerome,
I lived in laguna hills for 2 years awhile back. I found the easiest way was to make the cuttings and stick them directly into the earth in partial shade. Right now should be a good time for them. A lot of people did it when they pruned their roses in Jan-early February. Once I found some branches in a dumpster just starting to wilt from someone's prunings. I had no space but cleared a space the size of a man's handkerchief and cut the branches and had approximately 18 cuttings in that tiny space and about 15 of them rooted. I tentatively identified it later as the floribunda, Brass Band, a terrific undervalued rose. Some of my hybrid teas were not quite so successful. Try some under some shrubs to provide partial shade; nothing to lose!
Jim

Jim, that's a fantastic idea, and I am going to try it tomorrow. Thanks.

Jerome

Jerome, not to rub salt into wounds, by I find my Austins teas and chinas the easiest to root whereas my luck is lower with other types (I have rooted cuttings of Baronne Henriette de Snoy, Marhal Niel, Mlle F. Kruger,Mrs Dudley Cross leafing nicely in the basement grow room).

I use those simple black plastic trays with the clear plastic hood - that are over-priced. I use very small peat pots (2 inch by 2 inch and put in sterile peat moss or simple sterilized potting mix - mostly peat moss anyways).

I then scour below the last leaf node and apply Wilson's rooting compound (liquid) but let the cutting sit in the small bottle for 2 or 3 minutes. I stick it in a hole made with a pencil and tap gently around the cutting

I then drench (gently) the medium - not moisten - the mix. I also put about a quarter an inch of water in the tray and leave it for 24 hours - the reason is the pot and medium will soak it up. I then decant the free water and put the tray and hood under light (fluorescent).

However what follows is why I think I have good luck with these types of roses, unlike the usual rule of watching out for too much moisture I ensure that the tray enclosure has high humidity ... but not with technical measuring but rather by ensuring there is condensation on the plastic hood and the pots feel damp - not overly soggy ... I am convinced these types of roses like very damp conditions to root than the other kinds ... I came upon this view because I made the usual mistake of beginners in making things too moist and the others would in the majority of cases die with maybe about a 30% survival rate - yet my teas/chinas and Austins rarely fail to root and I am fully confident in saying my rooting success with them is 80 to 90%.

I also never pull to see if they are rooted, I wait for the leaves to form ... watch out for the fake leaves that appear really quickly - say in a week or two, they are real but they are not rooted - normally the cutting dies if these type show-up. Usually the teas and chinas let me know in 5 to 7 weeks if they are going to make it (indoor rooting and artificial light).

All except Marechal Niel who took from late September when I took the cutting, to last week in February when it finally formed it's first leaves (4 1/2 months or 18 weeks long - but I knew it had rooted because they were coming out of the pot by the end of December). Has it ever taken off in a week with now about 5 or 7 leaves - (transplanted to a larger pot).

Another thing I do is when the cutting has got to big for the tray lid clearance, I will transplant it into a pot and cut the bottom out of a coke bottle and put it over it. I keep the cap on and mist the inside of the bottle. This allows me to continue to keep the humidity high. I water the soil from the edges not covered by the bottle.

This year I exposed BHdS too early to the house atmosphere and had to put here under the bottle again since my house is so dry in winter - she will stay like that until she is more mature. MFK and Mrs Dudley Cross are out in the open on the with MFK having thin canes already 8 to 10 inches long.

Good luck, eventually you will find the technique that works for you.

Rikupot)

Jerome,

I am no expert, but I usually do pretty well with my cuttings.

I live in south GA, and I use a regular potting soil with a slow release fertilizer, and powdered root tone in small pots. When I prepare the cutting, I shave (using a razor blade) all of the bark off the end (all the way around the cutting) going into the soil and I dip it in the powder. I take off only the bark and I don't damage the cambiam layer (hope I spelled that right) I have also rooted straight in the ground with the same method.

But I don't leave any leaves on the cuttings. I agree with Marleah, the early leaves are using the canes to grow, and I think if you leave any leaves, that makes the cane weaker. I let them grow for about 6 to 8 weeks in small pots and I check the bottom of the pots regularly for new roots. I allow morning sun to hit the cuttings, but by the afternoon here it get hot, so I make sure to have some shade on them. I water everyday, but they usually dry out enough in the afternoon that they don't stay real soggy.

I took cuttings, (actually alot of cuttings since I had folks that wanted some of them) of Dr. W. Van Fleet last August. I ended up with 144 cuttings, and I checked them last week and I had only lost 8 of them.

I agree that you will find the way that is best for you, and don't knock any idea until you try it. You never know how it will turn out!!!

Hope I helped you in some way!!

Monique

I cannot thank you all enough. I am going to print this up and study your input tonight. Of the teas, the only ones I have had take for me have been Lady Hillingdon, and Souv. de Pierre Notting...oh and once William R. Smith. But Mme. Lombard, Maman Cochet, Baronne Henriette (a rose I love dearly)...nada. It's okay, I am just going to try all of your tips and be patient. One day, it will come, right?

I just stopped over on this forum, and wanted to thank everyone for your ideas on propagating.

I've never had any luck with the baggy method either- I think my mistake had been that the soil was too wet, and everything rotted. Some say they decant the excess water, but I never managed to get that right, and finally gave up on that method.

I really like using the clear Solo cups for rooting cuttings- one per cup- and recently, I have seen where people are using the 2 liter soda bottles as an individual greenhouse for those litle cups. They cut the bottles off at about 4" high, and tape the top portion back in place. Makes it easy to remove the cup and look through the clear plastic for roots so you won't be distrubing the medium to peak, and with the soda bottle "hat" on the top,, you can control the moisture level pretty well, by leaving the cap screwed on or taking it off for ventilation as you think is right. I will use this method some this year.

My question for growers in the warm zones, when you take cuttings in the springtime, do you take your cuttings early, before the new growth begins, or do you wait until after the first bllom cycle? What has worked best for you?

Thanks!
Allison

In my warm zone, the best thing for me to do is to wait until after the rose blooms. I have taken really new wood, and it won't hold up because it is too 'green', or young. For the cutting to survive, I have to wait until it has hardened off some, so the cutting has time to store some energy. I usually start cuttings in May thru August.

I hope I've been some help!!

Monique

Thank you, Monique!
I have always had better luck with cuttings in the fall than the spring, but this year I will try waiting til later in spring, after the first cycle of blooms, and long enough for the new growth to harden off. Perhaps that will do the trick!

Allison

try rooting them in moistened 50/50 potting soil and perlite in a 2 liter soda bottle. Cut the bottle in half about 2/3 of the way down. On opposite sides of the top make a notch about an inch or so wide, cut part of the notch off, this makes it easy to stick the top back on. this makes a miniature green house. Leave the lid off the bottle to allow a little air. If you need instructions on the bottle email me and I'll send you a diagram.

Pam

I live in northern California. We get a few freezes in winter, no snow. My foolproof method is to take cuttings in fall, either put them in pots outside or in the ground, and wait. Most of them root easily and by spring are ready to be very carefully moved. I found it is best to put them in a small pot in the ground so when it starts getting too warm, I can move it without disturbing the roots. I have had good luck this way. Only thing is, I can only do it in fall.
Kathy