Sure, if you have a rose bush that gives you beautiful roses, the least you want is to be without it at some point, right? It is one of the reasons why we are looking for how to plant rose cuttings and make them work well, to be able to enjoy other plants that are the same as the “mother”.
But how do you do it? Is there a trick to planting rose cuttings and getting them through? Do we have to root them or put them in a specific mixture? If you also want to multiply your rosebush but you do not know how to do it, then we will tell you about all of it.
What is the best time to plant rose cuttings?
To take cuttings from a rosebush and be successful, the first and most important thing is know when to cut and plant them since not in all stations you will have the same success.
Having this clear, The two best times to plant rose cuttings are spring and fall. In these two seasons you will be able to have greater success, although be careful; If the autumn and winter are very, very cold, it is best that you protect it to prevent it from freezing.
That said, if you're new to cuttings, we recommend doing it better in the spring, as you'll have a better chance of success. And specifically, if you do it in April-May, when the rosebush is already active and in full force (it will have sprouted leaves, buds and may even have some budding buds) much better because you increase the chances that it will take root and you will have a new plant.
How to choose the cuttings
Another step you must take before planting rose cuttings is to know what type of cuttings you should choose.
The experts are very clear on this aspect and it is that They always recommend choosing branches that are at least one year old and have flowered. The reason is because these branches will have a greater reserve of sap than the new ones, and that offers more chances of success because they will run out of reserves much less quickly.
To give you an idea, the ideal is that it measures between 10 and 40 centimeters in length. If you cut them smaller you risk running out of those reserves before the cutting can survive on its own. Also, if the branches you cut are between 0,6 and 10 millimeters thick, much better.
Make sure that those cuttings have at least 4-5 buds.
Another important factor is the type of cut to give it. At the bottom, the cut will be horizontal. But at the top it will be diagonal.
How plantar rose cuttings
Now that you have the rose bush cuttings, what do we do with them? The normal thing is to think that we should plant them in the ground and wait for them to take root and get ahead, but the truth is that there are many methods.
Therefore, we are going to comment on them below.
Plant rose cuttings in a potato
One of the first methods of planting rose cuttings is to use a potato as a "pot". The reason it is done is because the potatoes provide the cutting with constant moisture and at the same time it can take advantage of its own nutrients of this tuber to be nourished at the same time that the roots are developing.
In fact, when this happens (the roots) you can transplant it directly into the ground.
Rose cuttings in water
This method is somewhat controversial. And it is that many farmers do not recommend it. The reasons they give for not putting the cuttings in water is that, in this way, can dehydrate (yes, despite being in water) and it does it not only at the lower cutoff point, but also at the upper one.
Even so, it is a method that, depending on where you live or the "hand" you have, can be effective for you, so do not rule it out.
In this case, it does not consist of filling a glass of water and putting it, but it is recommended to have made a mixture of perlite and water or similar so that it has consistency and, at the same time, so that the cutting is not continuously in water, but rather that the humidity is maintained.
Here you can use rooting hormones if you want, since they are added to the water of the cutting.
Plant rose cuttings in soil
This is the traditional method and the one that most experts recommend because it is where you have the best chance of success (also because it is the method in which you do not have to spend more time on the cuttings).
It consists of making a peat preparation with perlite and orchid substrate (The more drainage you offer, the more chances that the roots can develop and grow without feeling "limited"). In this preparation you must plant the cuttings and water it regularly. When planting, you have to make sure that at least two nodes of the cutting are buried since that is where the roots will come from (not from the base of the cutting).
Several points must be taken into account:
- not give it the sun. Although rose bushes are "sun" plants, the cuttings should not be placed in the sun, but in the shade until they begin to "wake up". And even so, being small, our recommendation is that you place them in a bright place but without direct sunlight (at most, first thing in the morning or last thing in the afternoon).
- Keep watering. It is important that the soil is always somewhat moist, and for this it is necessary to control during the first weeks that it does not dry out too much because that will exhaust the cutting more. You can control it in various ways such as putting a drip, making a mini greenhouse with a plastic bag, etc.
- Also here you can use rooting hormonesAlthough many times they do not need them. If the cuttings meet the minimum that we have told you, they will most likely succeed if you give them the right conditions without the need to add products to speed up the process.
How long does a rose cutting take to root?
The rooting process of a cutting, or what is the same, the time it will take for this cutting to “set” and become a rosebush itself will depend on many factors. Therefore, we cannot tell you a specific time. It may take weeks or months to do so.
So our recommendation is that you arm yourself with patience and, unless you see that the cutting dries up or that, after several months, it still shows no signs that it has rooted, leave it alone. It can give you a surprise after a while.
Do you now dare to plant rose cuttings?