MOISTEN CUTTINGS THAT HAVE BEEN CUT ABOUT 1/4 INCH BELOW A LEAF NODE WITH AT LEAST 2 SETS OF LEAVES ON TOP. (Notice the bottom leaf node in photo below.) I use stems that have recently bloomed in the fall of the year before temps fall into the 20’s

CUT THE BLOSSOMS OFF OF THE ROSE STEMS.

SCRAPE THE SIDE OF THE STEM AT, OR JUST BELOW THAT LOWER LEAF BUD.

MOISTEN THE CUTTING AGAIN, AND TAP THE EXCESS MOISTURE OFF OF THE CUTTING. Place the cutting in the rooting hormone and tap against the side of the jar to release excess rooting hormone. Take care with this process. THIS IS A HORMONE AND YOU DON’T WANT TO GET IT ALL OVER YOUR HANDS, YOUR HOUSE, OR BREATHE IT IN. I wear gloves when I am doing this.

(Continued)

REMOVE PENCIL FROM THE HOLE YOU HAVE MADE AND PLACE CUTTING IN THE HOLE, BEING CAREFUL TO NOT KNOCK THE ROOTING HORMONE OFF AS YOU DO. Press the potting soil down around the cutting to make contact with the soil on the cutting. Bring the baggie up around the cutting and blow some air into it. Place a twist tie on top and place them together in a basket. Place the top of the cuttings at least 24 inches from the grow lights. Too close will cause the cuttings to want to grow and the leaves will turn yellow.

CHECK THE OUTSIDE OF THE CUPS AFTER ABOUT 2 WEEKS TO SEE SIGNS OF ROOTS ON THE SIDES. WAIT TO OPEN THE BAGGIES UNTIL ROOTS ARE WELL ESTABLISHED. THEN OPEN THE TOP AND LET THE AIR OUT, BUT DO NOT OPEN ALL THE WAY!!!! The plant needs to get used to regular drier air. Take about 2 weeks to gradually open the baggie farther and let the roots continue to grow. Do not over water at this time. Mist the potting soil if needed, but only if the mix is dry.

WHEN THE PLANT LOOKS HAPPY AND IS STARTING TO GROW, TRANSPLANT INTO LARGER POTS (ABOUT 1 QUART) USING THE SAME POTTING SOIL AND LOWER THE LIGHTS DOWN TO LET THEM GROW. When they are happy, they may even reward you with a blossom!!!

PLEASE TAP ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE THEM FOR CLEARER, LARGER PHOTOS.

HAPPY ROOTING!!!

Rebecca

Thank you for this primer. Do you ever do this at other times of the year?

You’re welcome, Vaporvac. I’ve only done it in the fall because I don’t grow plants inside in the summer. It’s a hobby for me in the winter. Nice to have roses bloom in the basement in the winter time. :)

Rebecca

Wonderful!! Thanks very much!! You make it look so easy. :)
Carol

Wonderful detailed instructions, Rebecca. Thank you!

Thank you sooo much! I will give it a try tonight. I picked up a few newly damaged canes from rabbits last night, they are sitting in the water.

Rose and Ben, you are so welcome!

Summer, you are welcome! I am not sure how it will work on canes that have been exposed to cold and hardened, but you can always give it a try.

Rebecca

Rebecca,

Thanks so much for posting this very helpful rooting guide. Your method is almost identical to what I do except for a couple of things. I always leave mine on the windowsill because I gave up growing lights since I moved from orchids to roses. I've often heard people say that they will scrape a bit of the stem before dipping in rooting hormone, but I usually make vertical cuts right through it.

I can't say if how you cut it makes any difference or not because I'm pretty lousy at keeping records:) The science behind the whole thing is kind of weird as sometimes I end up with all of them rooting, and sometimes none of them do.. Oh well..

I recently used essentially the same method. I purchased regular potting mix and clear plastic cups from target etc... What I did differently was placing the cuttings in a clear plastic tub with lid on my covered patio. This is my first time taking cuttings ( filling spaces in my yard...sharing roses..) and I am happy with a success rate of about 50% although there is room for improvement. I think were I went wrong, and lost cuttings, was by providing too much water when the soil seemed kind of dry. The plants quickly died back. Thank you for the tip regarding just misting the soil!! I think my assumption that it is so dry here, even during the winter... relatively, that watering would not be that much of an issue was incorrect. Next time.... I mist!!

Do you guys get tiny black flies from the potting soil? I have to find some "seasoned" soil (last year's soil) to try this. I can't use Lowe's or HD's potting soil indoors.

No tiny black flies, but until recently, mine had a lid and were outside. A few already have/had aphids and white flies :( I use the hose spray to get them off the leaves but I think they are landing in the soil...

Summer, NEVER!! Are you bringing stuff in from a greenhouse? Like a rose that has been rooted in a greenhouse and shipped to you, or a plant? If so, those are fungus gnats that live in greenhouses and the roots of plants that they sell. I have to rinse all of the soil from greenhouse grown roses before I pot them up and grow them inside. Otherwise, my house is under attack.

Desertgarden, you may have lost cuttings from opening the lid. That is why I use baggies and KEEP THEM CLOSED until the roses root and then TAKE TWO WEEKS TO GRADUALLY OPEN THEM. They have their own ecosystem and can remain sealed up for months. They just keep watering themselves.

Rebecca

You could be correct Rebecca. It is tough because so many who are rooting cuttings are in places with significant levels of humidity. At some points throughout the year, humidity levels are in single digits here, and I believe it was around 20% when my rooting attempts began. Because of this, my thought was that the process would be different and the cuttings would dry out here, whereas it doesn't when others are working in places with more humidity. Well, I saw something I have never seen on some of my cuttings or anything for that matter, mold.

SUMMER, THERE’S THE KEY TO YOUR FLIES... YOU POTTED ROSE BANDS THAT WERE INFESTED WITH FUNGUS GNATS IN THE SOIL. THE BUGS ARE IN THE ROSE BANDS. It had nothing to do with the soil from Lowes. I had that same thing happen to me one year. I now rinse every bit of soil off of the roots before I pot them up in potting mix from Lowes. That is what removes the eggs from the soil that the rose is potted in from the seller. Usually, I use Miracle Grow seed starting mix but they aren’t carrying it yet this year. Anything works for me except coconut coir.

Rebecca

Desert garden, last year I had one cutting out of 18 fail. That one had a fuzzy mold grow around the stem. The rest rooted and grew like crazy. I keep my humidity at about 38% during the winter. My roses thrive in the basement. This year I got tired of watering them and they were taking over, so I put them in my sunken window well and put a plastic cover over them. They are thriving there, too, in spite of very, very freezing temps outside. That’s my greenhouse. :)

Rebecca

Oh got it Rebecca. I thought it was the potting soil. Sorry didn’t read the whole thing, was doing 2 things at once. I found the potted soil in the backyard just now. It’s 67F here!

Summer, you are too cute!!! As busy as you are planting, digging and growing roses, I’m surprised you can do it all, even with doing 2 things at once. :) Argh!! 67F???!!!! You lucky girl!! I’m ready to go put a heating pad on the snowbank so I can put a shovel to the dirt!! Happy planting!!