I usually take cuttings from fading blooms of the first flush. In Delaware, that would probably mean taking cuttings around Memorial Day. The best method may depend on how seriously you want the cutting to survive long term. IME, rooting the cutting is the easy part. Growing it on so it is large enough to survive in the garden is the hard part, and involves keeping the cutting inside its first winter. So while I think it is easier to root roses in the ground, doing it in pots makes the rooted cuttings more portable. If the idea is to just get it rooted, the Grandma method works fairly well. Put the cutting in a prepared spot in partial shade. Under the parent plant is the old-fashioned way. Place a large glass jar over the cutting, and water it well. There should be condensation on the inside of the jar. If the condensation disappears, give it more water. After a month to six weeks, start checking for new growth.

Since my cuttings spend the winter in the basement under lights, I start my cuttings in baggies under those same lights. Put the cutting in a clear container or peat pot filled with moistened seed starting mix. Put the pot in a large baggie and water it well. If water accumulates on the bottom of the baggie, empty it out. If there is no condensation on the inside of the baggie, use a spray bottle to add a few squirts of water. I like to use the outer tube of a ball point pen to blow up the baggies.

Most older climbers do not do well as own-root plants, so there are a lot of potential issues with getting something viable out of this experiment. However, since it is really only a little more than deadheading the parent plant, the only thing really at issue is your time.

I've had the most luck starting them now, in the fall. I stick them into a 1/1/1 mix of potting soil, perlite, and vermiculite and water daily but never let them sit in standing water. I have had equal success using grow light and just leaving them in front of a bright window. They usually root by thanksgiving and grow slowly throughout the winter, then take off in the spring. Spider mites and aphids are a big problem though, and I do need to spray them regularly.

Eb - do you use a baggie on top still in the fall and what do you spray yours with. Mine are being devoured by slugs and now aphids .

I actually think they do better uncovered and are less prone to rotting. I do mist them for the first couple weeks though to try to counter some of the moisture loss through the leaves. I use Malathion to control insects on them.

Thanks eb ! Sorry rose beginner for hijacking your thread !! I think you can move your rose in the spring would be best . Before it leafs out and definitely before it blooms so it can settle in wothout shock . Good luck !

cecily, do you dilute the milk?

vaporvac, we drink skim and it's pretty watery anyway so I don't dilute it. For a few cuttings, you just need a little in a squirt bottle. Dr. Kuska has posted journal articles on use of milk as an anti-fungal, a search of the forum should turn those up.

Thank you cecily. I have read about the milk treatment, but hadn't though of it for cuttings. Mine did not get anything last year overwintering in the house, but I never say never. OT a bit... do you use the milk for BS on your outdoor roses? If so, does it truly work? I imagine you have a lot of BS in VA. We have it bad here in the Ohio River Valley.

What ever method you end up using, I would suggest that you do at least 6 cuttings. I know that might sound like too many, but with rose cuttings it tends to be a real crap shoot sometimes. I still haven't figured out why some immediately take while others turn black and die..

@vaporvac: Virginia certainly does have high BS pressure. I grow antique teas and I don't spray. I'm lucky to have roses that I love that flourish in my climate. I'm guessing that using milk outdoors in a humid climate would require frequent reapplication & you've probably got better things to do with your free time.