That is a good idea. Milk bottles are free. This is a dumb question, but about how big a hole should I cut in the bottom? I could use this method as the ground under the eaves dries out fairly rapidly.

I do sprinkle everything with the sprinkling can when it is looking really dry.

Now with all these cuttings, when do you start to look for roots? To do that, I would have to take the pop bottles off, losing moisture, and lift the plastic cups out of the ground.

Also, WHEN should I start looking? Three weeks? A month?

If it appears there are roots, can you leave them for awhile longer or should you pot them up right away?

If you notice leaves going bad, should you pull them off so as not to infect the other leaves as rapidly as might otherwise happen?

After all that reading, so many questions.

You don't want it flowing.
As far as looking for roots DON'T DO IT! Just say NOOOOO to looking for roots. Leave it be. Hard, I know, but restrain yourself. Go and weed or something. Wait until you get NEW GROWTH. New leaves. Ok? That means stuff that was not there at all when you did the cuttings. Part of the fun of cuttings is knowing when to do nothing. The awful truth is that some of them are gonna live and some won't no matter what you do. Some are also slow, but will come up in the end. If it is green there is hope is the basic rule.

It's hard to see what is going on through the moisture in the pop bottles, lifting the cups up is not such a big deal? I'm more afraid to disturb the pop bottles. I will take your advice and leave them be. Just keep them moist by watering the ground.

Sooner or later I am going to have to look because even if they get new leaves, that doesn't always mean they have developed roots, right? 4 weeks?

Little hole with a drip. OK. That solves that. I need a couple more gallon jugs because it's a long area. Don't usually buy gallons any more . . .will get some,'nuf of that.

The one positive thing so far is that some have been in a week now and the leaves aren't drying up and falling off like that last batch that I didn't cover. They very well could from now on. The last batch of cuttings started leafing out then all of a sudden died, partly stressed by the heat wave and partly because I think I watered them too much and just plain didn't do it right. Once the stem was gone for sure, I pulled it out and looked, there were callusses on a few, some nothing, no evidence of any roots.

My bags (3 inside ones) aren't dripping moist on the insides, just a little drop or two. Feels humid in there and medium still moist. I wonder why they don't look more like the pop bottles.

The mason jar ones aren't moist inside either but they're stuck in the soil, keep it watered, try not to overdo that.

Oh, and thanks :-).

You don't leave the lid on the milk jug I just found out. It collapses in on itself.

Maybe you were talking about some lid over your roses. I couldn't figure out what kind of pots you were using, and am wondering now if the timer requires electricity because I can't run a cord outside the house overnight, could but would rather not.

On one of these threads somebody was talking about an outdoor setup with mister and timer which I saved the info.

If you use the right materials, looking for roots is no problem. I have posted here a few times about my misting system, and how easy it is. I thought I would take some time and show what is a "typical" result for me;

This is the name of the rose, and the date stuck.

I took these pix this morning (8/19/06);

Side 1 of pot

Side 2
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Side 3

Side 4

So, in 23 days I have a completely rooted HT. This rooted more than a week ago, but I leave them in these 2X6 see thru cutting pots until I have a chance to pot to 1 gallon square pots. Please note that one root has hit the bottom, and is now growing straight to where the outlet holes are.

I found these pots somewhere on the web for about $.25 per pot. That is coconut coir inside the pots.

Wow, that is impressive. I'm losing leaves again (maybe it's just I got one ziplock bag a little too moist, but the same rose cuttings under bottles outdoors are yellowing just like the inside one); it appears yours didn't and rooted in record time. Now I'm wondering if misting is better, seems like maybe being locked in the constant humidity, it affects the leaves adversely, too new at this to tell. Also impressed about the coir.

Could you point me to your post about your misting system, please?

See the post titled "All cuttings has roots or died". In the winter I use a system I "adjusted" from George's instructions, but during the warm months, I use the misting system. I first read about it here a few years ago, then made my own adjustments as I tried rooting. I can now get MOST HT's to root in three weeks. Let me know if you have any questions.

Here is a link that might be useful: All cuttings has roots or died post

Ah, I see I participated in that thread, have now read, reread and SAVED your technique. Shelves not a problem, have a bunch of ugly plastic ones I was upset my son dumped on me, now I'm happy; enough for some indoors and out. $55 for the timer and mist system, few bucks for some coir.

If I lose too many or all of the current batch of cuttings, I will try that next but will have to wait until spring to do it outdoors although if I can get some cuttings and rig up an indoor setup, I could possibly do some indoors this winter and both inside and out in the spring (little more cash outlay to set up lights, etc.).

1. I still need to know if you have to run electricity to the timer, it would tend to determine where I did the cuttings. I have a narrow spot on the west side of the house that gets almost no sun, plenty of room and not seen very well from the street, possibly could find the right tree to use but I would prefer people not get too curious about it as that could invite difficulties. My bottles have already attracted attention from a group of elderly walkers and who knows who else. Would that work?

2. I tried to find a catalog of cuttings from UC Davis and couldn't, not ready for that yet, but would like to find out more about that.

3. Thanks :-)

It seems to me that the faster you can get your cuttings to root and get on to the next stage, the less chance of losing them.

Timer runs on two AA batteries. Don't know about west side of house. Mine is on east so that it gets some early morning sun.

Here is link to UCD program.

Here is a link that might be useful: Univ Cal-DAvis fpms Rose Program

Yes, mine are on the east now and get a full blast of morning sun now and then along with dappled shade from different trees. Doesn't seem to have hurt yours at all, indeed helped them. Then they are shaded all the rest of the day shortly after noon.

Batteries are great! How long before you change them? I have some rechargeables for my camera and a charger or could buy more rechargeables and have some regular for backup. I suppose if the batteries go and you don't let it go too long, little harm is done if you get it up and going again.

Thanks so much for the link about the rose program, opens whole new possibilities for me, although until I get some success with local cuttings, don't think I'll risk wasting theirs. What a wonderful resource! I see they have a lot of heirloom varieties.

Thanks also for your generosity in sharing your method. One advantage that occurs to me is that you don't have to wean them out of bottles (probably have to slow down the misting toward the end, you didn't address that) and they are already more hardened off.

Just to perk myself up, I think I'll start getting those supplies, guess I can splurge that much :-).

Our zones are similar, think mine might be borerline b or a.

I think I'm hooked :-).

Once the roots are throughout the clear pots, I pot them up in 6X6 square containers, and place on the bottom shelf of the misting system. There are no misters there but they still get some of the overspray. After a few weeks of that, I place them out in full sun and water in the morning before work, and then in the afternoon when I get home. I also spray every other day with a weak root fertilzer (like greenlight root stimulator & fertilizer at Loes). Spray at 1/2 recommended rate until the plants are two months of age, then you can spray at full

OK, that's a great help, added it to your other instructions. As long as you don't run into the cold in late fall, should be fine. Spring cuttings would not be a problem and have good growth by fall.

Thank you again.

In the fall, use George Manders method. I made a few changes to it, like using coir instead of the medium he uses (which I could not find anywhere), and I also use a thermostatically controlled heat mat instead of hit boxed lights. That was just too difficult for me to get. It was much easier to just buy a heating mat for $75

I hope I have sense enough not to attempt any more cuttings in the fall, too much on my plate right now on other fronts. In time, I would very much like to try that.

If any of my current 33 cuttings root, I will feel fortunate to get them potted up and preserved through the winter.

I'm impressed with George's method, and the misting, it sounds easy to just go out and buy the stuff, but there are other things to deal with now.

Thank you.