I had some good luck when they were just beginning to root by placing 2 liter bottles over them that had the bottoms cut off. I put them in 6 inch pots, the styro cups inside and the soda bottles with the caps off fitting over the cups but inside the 6 inch pots. I put the whole thing behind a lace screen so the sun wouldn't be too hot on them. Or under a tree might work. some strong light but not hot sun worked very well for me and also keeping the humidity up around the canes. The bigger growers root in a constantly misting greenhouse don't they?

Thanks Kitty. Kim suggested I not cover them but leave them exposed. I have some stems in pots like you described.

I found a terracotta container the perfect size to house the pots against the east side of the house. This spot gets morning sun until about 11. I'll keep an eye on it and move it to a more sheltered spot if necessary. (The plant in the foreground is a rooted transplant of Salvia elegans, aka 'pineapple sage' with rose canes at its feet to keep the critters away.)

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I'm loving watching your updates :) I've been going outside and checking my cuttings in my little greenhouse about everyday too. I went for the method of justing sticking them straight into pots with a potting mix of 50/50 potting mix and perlite. Then I scarredf the bottom and dipped them in rotting hormone. We'll have to see what they do! Exciting isn't it? Best of luck...Ill keep checking in to see how yours are doing!

Tammy

exciting stuff, Jenn. For myself, the wrapping cuttings was a total fail despite several attempts in lots of half a dozen or so but I have had about 60-70% success using soda bottles and semi-ripe cuttings. You should expect to see roots sometime in the next 3 weeks or so (takes between 6-8 weeks for rooting to be really noticeable for me - although I have been using see through plastic to hold the soil so roots are visible quite early on. Of course, there is the slight problem of what to do with 39 cuttings ready to go in the ground this spring after spending last year in pots!

Yes, Tammy, very exciting! Best luck on yours as well.

campanula, thanks for the encouragement, I'll look again for roots in a couple of weeks. I check weekly anyway. 39 cuttings! What will you do with the extras?

You shouldn't have any issues with critters eating the pineapple sage, Jenn. Between its being fuzzy (gets gummy when chewed, requiring water to wash it down) and its scent (blocks their sense of smell so they can't tell if a predator is around) most will avoid it. Those are two of the traits which make plants vermin resistant. Go for poisonous, fuzzy, smelly or too tough and dry and you should have safe plants in the garden. Most critters will only eat the above (except poisonous) when severely stressed for food and water. Usually, they get the water they need from the food they eat, so a drinkable water source isn't generally needed.

You may save your rose and smelly plant prunings to protect your roses and other edible plants.

Here are a few shots I just took showing the results of the December and January wraps. I'd worried being too warm with several Santa Ana wind events, it might have been too hot and dry for them. I was also concerned the cuttings may not have been sufficiently hardened and dormant for the wraps. Fortunately, I seem to have worried for nothing.

I'm impressed how well flower cluster wood is rooting. This is Morey's Pink.

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And, its roots.

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A hybrid tea.
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Gardens of the World.

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The taller, brighter green cuttings are Annie Laurie McDowell, which continues rooting right down the line.

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A terminal flower cluster.

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How it's rooted.

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There have been some which didn't callus and there have been some which callused but didn't progress further. I'm still running over 90%, even with a winter and dormancy which really didn't happen and with too hot/dry weather with too little rain. You have to keep tweaking the methods to fit the conditions and type of material. If other methods work well for you, use them. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Before this method, nothing I'd had success with before elsewhere, worked here. THIS works very well here. Kim

Oh, for too successful propagation, I'm sure you'll easily find homes for them in trades here on GW. You should also check with your local rose and gardening societies. Most love donations they can auction and raffle to raise funds. I'm fortunate to have a small local nursery which is open to trying new things. I've given them a number of things I've rooted and had too-good luck with. Opportunities are out there, you just have think outside of the box. Kim

Thanks, Kim. The problem isn't critters eating my plants.... rather, they dig in the soil deep enough to expose the root ball. The worst is around the lemon verbena (near the pineapple sage).

That kind of sounds like raccoons foraging for grubs. Are there moles or voles there? We have moles and gophers. Both are very trap savvy, unfortunately, as are the danged squirrels. Kim

No moles or voles, thank God! I have seen a possum walking through that part of the yard.

A new question: How damp should I keep the soil? Like any other pot?

Next time I water, I plan to add a tiny bit of liquid seaweed. Is there any reason I shouldn't since it's very mild?

Jenn, I wouldn't add ANYTHING but water. Just keep them watered as you would any other potted plant. You want available moisture, but not soggy where there is insufficient oxygen in the soil. That will rot the callus and new roots. I suggest not putting anything in them other than water because there aren't roots yet. Even though mild, seaweed still has to break down into salts to be absorbed. I don't think it's warm enough for the soil bacteria to do their job yet. If it stays too wet and cool in the cups, the stuff can actually mold and that will ruin your chances of success.

Once there are roots and the nights remain warmer so the soil heats up and stays warmer, the seaweed is fine. Kim

OK, I wait until there roots and those conditions are met.

It's raining today (RAIN!!!) so I moved the pot to the patio for bright light and to keep the soil from getting too soggy.

Oh, I meant to ask:

What's the first sign that this is working, or not? How soon should I see signs of life from the canes without having to tip them out of the cups to check?

As long as the soil doesn't remain soggy, water logged because of its composition; as long as the pots have enough drain holes to permit sufficient drainage; putting them where they receive the water bath of a good rain is excellent. That is what mist propagation is patterned after. Keeping the canes moist from rain baths helps hydrate them, helping them to push cell growth. You can actually see them (and the other plants) grow under those conditions.

How soon you'll see results depends upon many factors. I've seen callused cuttings push visible roots into the bottoms of the cups in two or three weeks. There are some out there now which have leaves forming but no visible roots at the bottoms of their soil balls yet. That's why I plant them deeply to begin with. It keeps them in the conditions appropriate for callus and root formation, prevents them from drying out as quickly, prevents them from being as easily triggered into top growth before they have enough roots and permits me to more easily see early root growth.

It's easy to raise them in their cups/pots once I see enough root growth by tipping them out, adding soil to the bottom and resetting the soil ball higher in the pots/cups. Gently pull the soil from around the cane, above the root area, filling in the pot and firming it in gently with your fingers. Give them a good water and they'll likely never realize you've done anything to them. The new soil under them will give them more root to form roots, supporting new top growth.

Once you see new growth at the tops of the cuttings, they may or may not have roots forming. Only tipping them out to check will tell you for sure. Or, waiting until you see roots poking from the drain holes, or waiting for them to fail so you can pull them up to look. Kim

I'm enjoying the "Granada Saga" too! I do have one question about your terracotta pot though. Does it have drainage holes in it? If not it will collect water and possibly keep you cups from draining and the cuttings could rot. If it does have drainage that shouldn't be a problem. Otherwise either drill some holes in it or put the cups up on something so they don't sit on the bottom in water.

Keep us up to date on how they do!

Fantastic that they can be placed out in the sun like that with no leaves or extensive roots. It's much easier than the method I was using with trying to keep them humid but not too wet which is tricky. My first rose I ever rooted was a cutting put in sandy soil out in the yard in a tomato cage covered with a plastic bag. I didn't know what I was doing, I was just guessing. The leaves dropped off but eventually, it grew new ones. I never used that method again but maybe I just got lucky with the temperature that fall.

The burrito method seems too good to be true but the pictures are the proof!

Thanks, Kim.

Seil: yes, there are two 1/2" holes in the bottom of the terracotta pot. Good question. :)

Kitty: That spot gets sun only in the morning, and our temps are cool now so they're not in hot sun. When it warms up, I'll give them a shadier spot with protection from hot sun.

I was telling my sister all about the burrito method and she remembers how much fussing was involved whenever I tried to root roses and the disappointment involved when they failed.

I hope your new leaves will be peeking out soon on your little Granada plants.

Thanks, Kitty. Sorry your burrito experiences weren't good. :(

I also have some cuttings rooting from the burrito method. It has worked well for me too, thanks to Kim. So glad your Granada rejuvenation is working well, Jenn!

No I meant the traditional softwood method. I never tried to use the burrito method and now it is too late I think and all my roses are having fresh new growth. I will try next November. Something to look forward to.

This last year out of 12 attempts, I had 8 little plants now growing and that's pretty good for me. I was considering buying a greenhouse, but not having to harden them off instead would save so much trouble.

I saw that some people will actually bud your roses onto rootstock for you and this might be the way to go once you get some good little plants going. I have a few virus indexed ones that are slow growers and want to try them on rootstocks.

I think it's great that you love this Granada rose enough to try saving it. I feel that way about my ruffly pinky sport of Medallion.

I moved the cups to the back of the garage where they get morning sun until late morning. I check the soil daily and be sure it's damp, and give it a little rain shower with the hose if not damp enough.

The little stems in the milk-bottle greenhouse are still producing leaves and I don't see roots through the bottom of the pot.... yet.

I checked the milk-bottle greenhouse today, and I think those little stems are failing. :( I removed the top and took a peek; they are still mostly green but don't look good. One of them (the largest, which I thought had the best chance) has a lot of brownish-grey fuzz covering the bottom inch or so of the stem down to the soil line. I've kept the leaves picked off as they fall so they won't create fungus. I kept the container outdoors in bright shade, away from direct sunlight.

Well, I'm now putting all my hope in the burrito canes!

They may have been too damp in the greenhouse bottles and molded but it's so hard to know. Keep us posted on the burritos. We're all pulling for you!

If it helps, Jenn, I just posted photos of planting the cuttings deeply so they don't have to be covered. Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: 2012 Cutting Update

Nice photos, Kim, thanks.

The burrito canes (now in cups) still look fine. The only covered cuttings are the small stems from those canes.

Is it ok to use clear plastic cups to see the roots easier? The plastic cups can be planted in the Terracotta or window box container to maintain darkness with some pebbles in the bottom of the larger container for drainage. This way the cup can be lifted out and looked at without being tipped over. Will this work?

Light generally inhibits root growth, which is logical. Naturally, roots won't be successful growing into the light. Clear cups can be used as long as the light they receive is low enough. Yes, some will see root development even when light levels to the clear cup root ball are higher, but potentially not as many as might have developed had the light been lower. I would say, go for it. Shade the cups as much as you can conveniently without interfering with drainage and see how it works for you. Good luck! Kim

I like the clear cups because I can see when they have roots developed. But usually once I can see roots at the side or bottom of the cup I plant it up into a pot so it can continue to grow stronger.

As some of you might have expected by now since I haven't posted any updates for several months, the burrito canes did not root. :-( I want to thank Kim and everyone who offered suggestions and help for the experiment, as I learned a lot and may try it again.

Now I am on the hunt for a suitable replacement for the Granada.

Hi Jenn, I'm sorry they didn't work. You gave it a good effort though. What kind of thing do you have in mind for a replacement? Are you thinking of something similar but updated or completely different? Kim

Granada is available at several on line nurseries according to HMF.

Hi Kim, aw it's OK, it was a fun experiment and I appreciate all your patient coaching.

I was just going to post a question asking for a replacement. The spot is in a row of a dozen or so roses at the top of a short retaining wall with other plants in a narrow bed below it (in front of the wall). Facing the wall, it looks like this:

Roses at top of wall (L-R):
Joyfulness (peachy/apricot blend), Angel Face (will be moved to another spot and replaced with Neptune or similar color), _blank_spot_where_Granada_was_, Double Delight, White Masterpiece.... etc.

In front of wall below these roses (again, L-R):
Penstemon (violet color), Rose 'Lilian Austin', a mix of lavender-colored perennials(Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue' and a Verbena).... etc.

So, the replacement would stand between a lavender-colored rose (like Angel Face) and Double Delight, about 4-1/2 feet wide and 4' tall. I'd like colors similar to Granada, but I am open to other suggestions. A good yellow would also be nice; we have Sunsprite near the other end of the row but it's a bit shorter than I'd like in this spot.

I'll take a photo and include it in a new post.