My first success in rose propagation!

15 years ago

After a summer of lots of failures... I THINK I have something that looks like its working.

First, one cutting began to grow roots inside an enormous glass jar that was originally intended to house orchids. I could clearly see 4 inch roots clinging to the glass on the bottom, through a mixture of peat, perlite and sphagnum. I lifted the cutting, put it in a pot with soil (lost about half the length of the roots; they were "stuck" to the glass) and put it in a small container, under fluorescent lights. Now new roots are clearly visible peeking out the holes, so it's growing. New leaves are just starting to emerge.

In the mean time, I think I might have gotten another technique to work with a decent success rate:

I start by keeping the cuttings in plain old water. That way I can put them in very intense light without any wilting. All my cuttings in water successfully calloused but never formed any roots to speak of, and after a couple months they'd die. Once calloused, they begin functioning as their own self-contained "plant" rather than just a piece of a plant.

In water, the callous would just get bigger and bigger and bigger without forming roots - and the cutting would eventually die. But a fat-stemmed, calloused cutting is still a pretty good start.

So, I take it out of the water, dip it in rooting hormone, and put it straight into soil in a container on the windowsill.

I set the container into a cup full of water, and fill the cup part way so that the water level is right at the place where the base of the cutting is. I figure, if it was completely submerged before, it can deal with that now for a short period of time. BUT as the water evaporates down, I don't re-fill it, and instead just keep the soil moist after that.

No visible roots yet, but the leaves are showing no signs of wilting, yellowing or falling off, which is unlike any other cuttings I've had (they all lost leaves). And the cutting i s not covered, so either the callous has a decent ability to absorb water despite the fact that it is not a root, or it is quickly turning from callous to roots.

I'm not sure what's next, but hopefully it will continue growing in the windowsill and come spring I'll be able to plant something that has roots by then.

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Comments (4)

roseseek
15 years ago
Congratulations! See? There are many paths to success when propagating roses! I would venture to guess since you can root them in water, you either have very neutral or slightly acidic water. We have HIGHLY alkaline water here in Los Angeles which inhibits, no, PREVENTS roses from rooting in water. Combine that with our normal aridity and frequent heat and it spells disaster for that method. I'm glad you've discovered a method you can share for others in similar conditions to yours.

You might consider using your medium in peat pots, the formed small pots made from peat moss you can fill with your soil. Those might be able to be placed inside a glass or jar instead of planting directly in the glass. You should be able to see the roots beginning to grow through the sides, permitting you to lift the entire root ball without damaging or losing any of them. It may help prevent loss from root damage in the future. Good luck! Kim
pizzuti
Original Author
15 years ago
The roses won't root in water, they'll only callous. But if that's how it works, there should be some way to acidify water and encourage it. Can you add a touch of vinegar to the water to get them to root?

I think here in Denver where the city water is drawn from reservoirs in the mountains close to the Continental Divide, our water is pretty close to pH neutral, since there hasn't been time for minerals to mix with the water yet.
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roseseek
15 years ago
I don't know about vinegar as it's strong enough to kill top growth of plants. I wouldn't have any idea what concentration to use. They do use hydrogen peroxide in some houseplant fertilizers. Perhaps that might be a better choice? Oxygen Plus is the brand. You might research it to see what percent solution to make. I have known people who have frequently rooted roses in a glass or vase of water. My grandmother and great grandmothers did it in Alabama and an aunt used to do it outside Pittsburgh, PA. I can root soft wood things like Coleus and harder ones like Althea (Rose of Sharon) in water here, but not roses. They just burn out and die. The aridity and heat are enough that I don't try those in water here anymore as it's a waste of time.

Along the coast, I've known prunings dropped into nursery cans to root from roses, apple trees and many other shrubs, but when I deliberately tried them, they died.

Take a look at the Oxygen Plus or perhaps something like Miracid and see what seems more suitable. The Miracid may be too salty. Just a thought. Kim
roseygarden
14 years ago
I have been fighting with rose propagation for years. I got hooked after the first year with a very high success rate. After that it was very little success, maybe 10% or so. This year I was trying to propagate before the first frost and it was rainy and cold for the preceding days. I went out in the rain and got the cuts about September 15th. Guess what? After two weeks over half of the cuts had roots coming out of the bottoms of the small pots. I had strikes on roses I had never gotten before. No hormones, no wounding, just dropped them in the small pots straight from the garden and put them in the propagator. I was completely amazed. There is something to the excess water thing. I had heard of it but never tried it.