Many roses can be successfully grown from cuttings,
especially Miniatures, Polyantha, Shrub (including
Hybrid Musk, Hybrid Rugosa, Groundcovers) and Patio
Roses.
Timing
In South Australia, hardwood cuttings are generally
taken in late April, May and June. The best results, in
my experience, are with cuttings taken in early May.
Cutting Material
Hardwood cuttings come from mature wood – approximately
pencil thickness. If you can
readily remove the thorns without tearing the bark, the
wood is mature enough.
Preparing Cuttings
Cuttings should ideally have 4 buds and I like to make a
horizontal cut approximately 1mm below the bottom bud.
The cut above the top bud can be less precise (say 3 to
5mm) and does not have to be horizontal. I remove all
thorns for easy handling.
Generally, I prepare a bundle of
10 to 15 cuttings and bind them tightly with a rubber
band. I make sure all of the bottoms of the cuttings
form a horizontal plane. I do this by placing the base
of the bundle on a flat surface and either gently
tapping the bundle or pushing down on each cutting until
their bases are all on the same plane.
Remember to label your bundles.
Callusing Cuttings
You can callus the cuttings by:
1.
Placing the bundle in a pot of coarse
river-washed sand, buried to a depth approximating the
second bud from the bottom of the cuttings, watering and
then leaving in a warm, sunny spot until callused;
OR
2.
Wrapping the bundle in a few sheets of damp (not
wet) newspaper and placing it in a plastic bag and
keeping it in a warm environment (e.g. the kitchen) for
2 weeks or until the cuttings are callused.
Using this method, a couple of useful hints are,
firstly, to dampen the newspaper 2-3 days prior to use
(one problem experienced is if the paper is too
wet/damp) and, secondly, to tap the wrapped bundle of
cuttings on a firm surface prior to placing it in a
plastic bag to ensure the damp paper is in contact with
the base of the cuttings.
The cuttings are callused when the base of the cutting
produces a white callus around the perimeter of the base
of the cutting. It is from this callus that new roots
are produced. (Sometimes, if you leave cuttings in the
damp paper too long, roots are evident and,
unfortunately, these will be easily damaged when
transferring the cutting to the potting medium).
Growing Your Cuttings
Once callused (either in sand or paper), I transfer the
cuttings to a 'base' potting mix. Don't use a 'premium'
mix as this often has fertiliser in it which can 'burn'
the callus or baby roots. The base potting mix must have
good drainage capabilities but also retain moisture
(i.e. not dry out too quickly).
I plant my cutting to a depth
equating to the second bud from the base, water it
(preferably with rainwater) and then place it out in the
open air in a warm sunny spot. I use 4" or 10cm pots.
I don't over-water these cuttings.
In my experience, natural rainfall is sufficient until
the weather warms up in September/October.
The baby plants will be ready to
plant directly into the garden by the end of October.
In summary, roses grow well from cuttings and it's great
to witness their progress – so, give it a try.
