Buying plants for the garden is an enjoyable occupation, but the cost can soon add up. This is why the technique of producing additional plants from cuttings is such a boon for gardeners. With this method you can make one purchase and then continue to grow new plants as often as required. This article by Mike McGroarty from Mike’s Backyard Nursery gives step-by-step instructions for what he calls the Burrito Method.
Basically there are two ways, two different times of the year to grow roses from cuttings.? Softwood Cutting Season begins in June and continues through the summer.? By fall the wood hardens off and you have to do things a bit differently, You have to Apply Hardwood Cutting Strategies.
Let?s keep things simple and put rose propagation into two different categories.
The Mason Jar Method is described in this Post in Detail, but essentially, in the fall, it?s as simple as sticking a few rose cuttings in the soil and covering them with a Mason jar.? You can use that method in the fall with good success, but keep in mind, no mater what you do in the fall it is going to take longer because the wood is hard and the cuttings are dormant.
The Burrito Method goes like this;
Remove the leaves and side branches from rose cuttings.
Gather some canes from the roses that you?d like to propagate.? Do Not Propagate Patented Plants.? No matter who or why you are doing them, it?s against the law to propagate patented plants.? Check the tag for patent info.
Remove the leaves and side branches.? All you really want is the stem.? You can leave the thorns.
Rose cutting, make your bottom cut right below a leaf node.
If you look closely the little green bump to the right of my pruning shears is a leaf node, or a bud union.? That?s where new leaves and eventually new branches emerge from.? When making a hardwood cutting you want to cut right below, but not into, that bud union.
The piece of stem below the bud union will die and rot if you leave it and you really don?t want that going on underground when your cuttings are trying to root.? The new roots will emerge from and around that bud union.
Wound the cutting on both sides.
I rarely wound any of the cuttings that I make, even hardwood cuttings, but since roses are a little finicky when it comes to getting them to root I?d recommend wounding the cuttings on two sides.? Just scrape with a knife and remove the bark, exposing the cambium layer.
I am a keen gardener and so created Garden Pics and Tips for people who love gardens and enjoy great pictures of plants and gardens. Also covered are practical tips on all aspects of gardening.
Pretty!!
Molly Adair Radford