Granada is a lovely rose, and there is nothing that comes close to those vivid colors in my collection. If your plant is really 40 years old, it is probably better than any of the new Granadas that are on the market. Most of them come from low-rate mass producers that sell mostly virused plants. My Granada is quite virused and I keep it anyway. I still love it.

I would encourage you to try to start a new plant from your old one -- not buy a new one. Yours is better, no doubt than anything you could currently buy. If you can get me some cuttings or budwood, I would try to do it for both of us. Or, if you want to try it yourself, here are some directions.

Kathy (in San Juan Capistrano).

Here is a link that might be useful: Directions for rooting cuttings

Why didn't I think of that??!! That's what I will do. I have rooted many other plants, and know it is an exciting process.

Many years ago my mom rooted a cutting of a yellow rose by just sticking the stem in a glass of plain water; after it rooted, she planted it in the garden. I've read of others using that method with good results. It would be fun to try both methods, using cuttings taken at the same time, and compare the results.

Thank you for your suggestion... this will be a fun experiment.

PS - If I get more than one to root, would you like one?

Yes, of course. Thanks!

OK Kathy, I'm planning to get some cuttings ASAP. Will keep you posted!

This is our poor Granada bush. Who'd guess it would produce such a beautiful bloom in the photo above.

I took a closer look and all the stems with the bloom or buds are thin. I hope to get a good size cane for rooting.

With respect to a rooting hormone: Would a liquid seaweed soak be a good alternative? Say I soaked the cut stem in it, then watered it with a VERY dilute solution.

Your liquid seaweed soak is certainly worth a try. In my opinion/experience, it couldn't be any LESS effective than Rootone.

I'm wondering if anyone here has had a positive experience with 'Granada' on its own roots. I succeeded in rooting 2 cuttings from a neighbor's very old plant, but, after 3 seasons, am disappointed with their lack of vigor. I think I'll transplant one of them to a container this spring to see if that will help. I've not detected any sign of virus on either of my plants or on the parent plant.

Also wondering if anyone has grown the 'Granada' that's available from Roses Unlimited.

I have not grown it own root. But I commonly bud graft roses that seem like they are slipping away from me. If you have root stock handy, then use it. If you don't, then just pick a vigorously growing (the key here is vigorously) rose of any sort that happens to be in your garden (and that you don't particularly like) and pick a nurse stem and then do what is shown in this little video. Leave the top of the nurse stem growing for about 4 weeks, until the graft has callused over, and then cut off everything above the graft and strip the stem of all growth from any bud eyes below it also (you can leave the leaves alone). It will force the grafted bud eye to grow.

You can laugh (I have some roses that are "nursing" several otherwise doomed varieties), and it does look funny to have different varieties growing out of the top of one rose from different canes, but it works.

Here is a link that might be useful: Grafting video

Oops, sorry... forgot to include the photo -- this is our poor Granada...

{{gwi:251354}}

If you have a weeping willow tree near by try this:

Gather about two cups of pencil-thin willow branches.
Cut into 1-3 inch lengths.
Steep twigs in a half-gallon of boiling water overnight (tea) or use lukewarm water and let twigs soak for 24-48 hours.

Before you place cuttings in soil, soak the ends overnight in some of this liquid. After cuttings are put in soil, water cuttings with this liquid when they require water.

Refrigerate un-used liquid.

With some plants, you may you opt to root your cuttings right in the willow water. If you do this you will need to make a fresh batch for other cuttings/each use.

HTH
Ronda

Thank you, Ronda - I don't know of any willow tree nearby, but I'll look for one.

The instructions for 'rooting cuttings' doesn't tell us what to do with them in the milk-jug, how to handle them and finish off the process, it appears the remainder of it has been 'dropped'...?? How wet is the medium (perlite) kept? I have had mine just turn brown and dead and have been told it was too wet, also to keep the bottom of the rooting above the water-line and have the medium (perlite) wick water up, also to water only with the rooting liquid, like Olivia's .... I have seen instructions where they advise using a rooting Gel,and dip the cutting in the Gel before putting it into the perlite, also a rooting liquid such as Olivia's, and use this Olivia's liquid to water the cutting with...... what is the opinion of the experts on using this? Thanks, sally

Hmmm -- looks complete to me. Once they are in the milk jug, you just leave them alone until you see a good rooting system in there. The best location is somewhere with bright indirect light, like under a tree that is not too dense. I usually do not have to water them at all once I place them under the tree -- set it and forget it.

And your friend is probably correct -- they do not like being submerged in anything -- they need air to root, which is why you use perlite. Perlite allows lots of air space in the soil mixture. Check once a month to see if roots have formed. If the upper bottle is fogging up some, then you have enough water in there -- leave it alone.

I do use a rooting gel. My favorite one comes from Lee Valley Tools and is called Wilsons, but just because I prefer a gel or a liquid over a powder.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wilsons Root Stimulator

I think I am going to try Wilson's on half my cuttings and see if the results vary from powder. You should own stock in Lee Valley for as much as you promote them!

saldut - how about trying coconut coir instead? I have had real good success with it.

There really are only two things there I like -- but it is the only place on the planet to get either of them -- Wilson's and Rooter Pots.

And now that Mike's got me thinking about it, Jenn, if you want a way to propagate your plant that almost never fails, try these Rooter Pots.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rooter Pots at Lee Valley Tools

kstrong: Thank you, I think I'll try that!

Years ago my mom put a stem of a yellow rose into a vase of water. It rooted and she planted it in the garden, and it grew into a mature rose. No rooting dust, gel, no fancy tricks. Obviously, it's possible to do it that way.... but did she just get lucky? Do the majority of cuttings started that way eventually fail?

I gave my friend a bouquet of Apricot Nectar when her daughter was born and a stem rooted in water in her cool porch. She planted it and got a nice bush, but I think it was a fluke. They do say china roses root most easily, though, and maybe that one has a lot of china (or tea or something),

Having a baby does seem to be associated with minor miracles, at least it did in our case. When I came home from the hospital with my newborn son, Max, we found that our pair of zebra finches had five little babies in the nest, all of which survived. We had had the birds for years and they had never previously produced any offspring. Also the day after our son was born, my husband played in a chess tournament with a computer (called Duchess) at nearby Duke University, beat the machine and won the tournament. All of these were rather one-time fluke events in our lives. I feel that the rooting of Apricot Nectar is in this class of miracles.

Great stories, Monarda!