what to do with hardy cuttings?

10 years ago

Well, I actually (after about 5 attempts over two years) got some cuttings to root. I've been trying to help my friend get cuttings from her old garden. So they've finally worked, and I feel really glad that I could help her with this. :)
So today I went outside to see how the cuttings were doing. I just wanted to check, so Iifted the plastic bottle off of a cutting. Ooops - the bottle came up with a plug of dirt inside. When I got rid of the chickweed (more on that later), I saw the cutting. It had a callous!!!!!!!!!!!!! and a tiny white root!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I've probably killed that one - I took it in the back yard and stuck it in a pot. I'm not sure if that one will survive....but...I have about 5 other cuttings that are probably just like the first one. So....what should I do with them?? Winter is coming...these are hardy roses (mainly rugosa types), but they're very little. Will they survive a zone 3 winter??? Should I take a shovel and scoop under the cuttings to make sure they're not damaged - and put them all in a large pot?? Should I separate them, and risk damaging the roots?? Should I leave them outside??

As to the chickweed. I think it was instrumental in helping the roses to root. All of the cuttings I did were from roses that don't grow thick canes (Rosa Hugonis) where the flowers are. The canes are very tiny and woody.....so I think the chickweed (inside the plastic bottle with the cutting) provided wetness from transpiration, protection from sun/rain/hail/heat/cool weather and provided a fixation of nitrogen into the soil.

So what should I do?

Thanks!

Carol

Featured Answer

mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)

10 years ago

Given where you are, I'd cautiously recommend keeping the bottles over the cuttings, and covering the bottles. I know some people have done that successfully, and it sounds about right.

We have extremely unstable winters where I live. There was one winter where we had almost a week where it never went above single digits F, followed by almost a week of temperatures above freezing, followed by another week only slightly warmer than the first one. It's hard to explain to people that it is the warm week that kills if you are into winter protection because all sort of damaging fungi love that sort of weather. It doesn't help that the cold weather is accompanied by lots of snow, which of course melts when it warms up. So I don't have first hand experience with successful winter protection methods.

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Comments (6)

mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
10 years ago
I'd leave them. Though I do have to ask why you are doing cuttings instead of suckers? Hugonis is a beast to root, but suckers are movable by mere mortals. Rugosas aren't quite as bad, but cuttings are more difficult than suckers. Both want to run when established, so suckers are usually available.
rosecanadian
Original Author
10 years ago
Well, I went to her old yard covertly...she didn't want to get in trouble with the new owners of her house and was afraid of them calling the lawyers/police. So I was in and out in a flash. :)

I agree that it was a beast to root!! But I think the chickweed helped.

So 1 vote for leaving.

Do you think I should take off the plastic bottles? I'd cut them off instead of pulling them off (that will take the rose with it). Do you think I should put some dirt on top of the cuttings when the time comes?

Thanks!

Carol
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rosecanadian
Original Author
10 years ago
We have the same kind of weather, because we have Chinooks. We can sometimes get up to 20C (68F) for a week in summer, then the next go down to -20 C (- 4F) the next. It's really hard on tender roses in the ground. The people who grow them here have to do serious protection - to protect against the heat as well. Okay, so I should leave them as is and cover then with dirt. Thanks so much!! That was really helpful!!

Carol
seil zone 6b MI
10 years ago
Are these in a pot, Carol? If so you might want to sink the pot into the ground over the winter. Sinking them will help protect and insulate the tiny root balls. You might also want to start hardening them off slowly right now by taking the bottles off for a short time each day and gradually longer and longer until they are off completely. I hesitate about keeping the bottles on all winter. Even though it's very cold the sun can get very hot inside a clear container. Even a plastic bottle will act like a magnifying glass. They also can't get any moisture inside and even though dormant they do need moisture all winter.
rosecanadian
Original Author
10 years ago
No, they're not in pots, Seil. They're in a raised bed in front of the house. Oooh...good point about the moisture. I'll cut the bottles off. I can't put them on and then replace them, because when I pulled a bottle off, the whole rose and dirt around it came up.

Good thinking.

Carol