Softwood cuttings, hardwood cuttings

17 years ago

I would like to get these straight. I think I've been unknowingly mixing methods, though with decent results.

The way I've propagated most of my roses has been to take cuttings of roses that haven't gone dormant, in October-November. I do this for all my roses, once-blooming or repeat-blooming, choosing canes that have flowered, and have minimum two nodes per cutting: three or four is better. I strip off the leaves except for the top leaflet and stick the cutting in a bed covering at least one node. The bed is an unscientific mixture of garden dirt (emphasis on clay), sand, and peat, and sometimes I make a little pocket of sand for the cutting. We (this is where my husband comes in) water well and cover the bed with clear plastic over a rebar frame, making a greenhouse. We water at need and uncover the bed in spring once the danger of frost and snow has passed. We water at need through the summer, and by fall most of the roses that have rooted are ready to be planted in the garden. I probably average about 50% success rate, with some varieties rooting at 75%-100% and others not at all.

So. Am I using the hardwood cutting method with softwood cuttings? What's the correct method to propagate by hardwood cuttings? I also root roses in pots, summer through fall, taking semi-ripened wood as a rule, though this fall I also took cuttings from once-blooming old roses to root in plastic-covered pots, and they look good--I'll see if it worked when spring arrives. Also, can I take hardwood cuttings now and put them in beds? I still have some space, and some roses I never got around to taking cuttings of.

I will very much appreciate attempts to help me straighten this out! Thanks.

Melissa

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Comments (6)

rosyone
17 years ago
Melissa,your leafy fall cuttings were semi-hardwood cuttings, defined as mature stems from the current season's growth collected before the plant goes dormant. It sounds like you've worked out a good method for rooting them - at least for those roses that want to root at that stage of maturity. In my climate such cuttings started in October or early November need to be covered (as you do) or misted (as I do) and would have a good chance of rooting before winter sets in. I dismantle the misting system once the temperatures drop and leave the cuttings uncovered through our relatively mild and wet winter. In your climate it may be better to leave them covered, or maybe not. That's something you'll have to work out for yourself.

Yes, you can take hardwood cuttings now. Or you could probably wait until you do your spring pruning and start some hardwood cuttings then. That works well in my climate. I stick leafless dormant cuttings a node or two deeper and don't cover them, but again, the level of protection required under your local conditions is something you'll have to work out for yourself.
melissa_thefarm
Original Author
17 years ago
Rosyone: thanks for the knowledgeable response, it answers my question very nicely.

Now comes another question, following out of this one. Are there rose varieties or classes of roses that root better from hardwood cuttings? I generally do well with Teas, Chinas, Hybrid Musks, and ramblers for example, but have a string of failures with Noisettes that I find rather surprising. I've generally done well with once-blooming old roses, but haven't been able to experiment much with them. What have others' experiences been? Thanks.

Melissa
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In zone 5 without a greenhouse, there are a couple of options for doing hardwood cuttings of deciduous schrubs during the winter. One method is to make the hardwood cuttiongs after a hard freeze when tie them in a bundle with the buds all facing in one direction and bury them completely in the ground with the bud growth facing down. Sometimes some moist peat on top helps. In the spring, they shoul have caluses and can be planted out in a good potting medium. Keep watered all summer and by fall they should be rooted. The second method is to take the cuttings after they are dormant, dip in a liquid rooting hormone for 5 seconds and plant in a bed of course sand. Keep watered if it is dry during the winter and the following summer, they should be rooted by next fall. Sometimes one method works better than the other so I would suggest trying it both ways. The fastest method for decidious schrubs is with softwood cuttings in the early summer, most will root in 4 to 8 weeks under mist or an upsidedown fish tank. Mike
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From what I have read, humidity is really for the leafy part of the cutting, not important for root formation. So really, having an "enclosed" propagation box for hadwood cuttings is a bad idea unless you are someone who forgets to water. Is this correct? Having the roof on would be good for the leaves once they sprout on the dormant hardwood cutting, but then you have to go through the process of weaning them off the humidity - plus more humidity means more risk of mold and rot. This is from things I have read, I have no meaningful experience (I have rooted things but am not sure why it worked beyond the fact that the cuttings rooted before they rotted... in some instances - I certainly have rotted lots of cuttings in the past two). So use the roof "enclosed" humid system for softwood cuttings only? For hardwood cuttings really you just need the potting medium to be sterile, moist but not wet, and bottom heat. Air circulation and light will help prevent mold but watch out for cutting desiccation (sealing wounded areas of cutting that will be above soil line with wax could help retain moisture, or temporarily add humidity dome, mist etc. if that looks like things are a little dry). I read that a 1% Hydrogen Peroxide / water mix used for watering cuttings and misting works to prevent mold and even treat mild mold on cuttings in a propagation flat. I tried this for the first time today. Am I correct in this? Please comment, thank you! It's a blizzard here in Boston. Good day to garden indoors!
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rosyone
17 years ago
Melissa, while I root roses year round, virtually all of my "serious" propagation is done under intermittent mist during the growing season. My experience with dormant cuttings has been too haphazard to give me a good feel for how the different classes sort out with that method. The thought process that tempts me to start them generally runs along the lines of "Well, I've got this nice looking cane and it's detached from the plant. It would be a shame to throw it away, so..." Consequently I end up with a random gaggle of unrelated rooted cuttings I don't need and don't learn much of anything from. I do know that every single dormant Gruss an Aachen and Pink GaA cutting I've ever started has made it safely to my neonatal nursery. And that my dormant Souvenir de la Malmaison cuttings bombed out completely two years in a row. SDLM is a quick and easy rooter during the growing season.
Danicedola_hotmail_com
13 years ago
Hi i am trying to grow a hardwood cut from an old tea rose in a container. It has leafs now. It snowed and i decided to put it inside and its now growing faster. Should i keep it inside during the winter or put outside? Many thanks
dan_keil_cr Keil
13 years ago
I have tried to root ogrs with no success.Minis are the easiest to root. So are hybrid teas and floribundas.
beaniebeagle
13 years ago
i would follow this guy's way of propagation. you still have time, everything is still dormant

I use some physan 20 inside the plastic bag.

I just started doing this and 80% of them have calloused

Here is a link that might be useful: dormant cuttings propagation

Softwood cuttings, hardwood cuttings

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rosyone

melissa_thefarm
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Softwood cuttings, hardwood cuttings

Comments (6)

rosyone

melissa_thefarmOriginal Author

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rosyone

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melissa_thefarm
Original Author