How to root a rose stem

[maddie]

Maddie while I was watering my outdoor plants recently I noticed a branch had broken off from one of my curbside rescued poinsettias. On a whim I stuck it in dirt in an empty pot and watered it. The top has been dying off but there are a bunch of new leaves growing on the green bottom part. Two of my other poinsettias don't seem to have survived, but I think I underestimated their water needs.

Poinsettias are really easy to grow.. but you really have to ensure that the mealy bugs don't take over once the flowers are gone.. My poinsettias are now losing their red leaves and growing tiny new tender green leaves. I enjoyed their color until mid April this year.. that was really cool.
@ Claudine now you know. Every time you trim your roses you can grow new plants. I think leaving the stems in water is the best way. If you are trying to root it in soil cut a soda bottle and put it over the stem. You don't have to worry about watering the plant enough or keeping the right temperature.
I have tried covering my orchids with soda bottles and it has brought my dormant plants to life and to bloom I just learned these few trick online. I love these small tricks and tips that can change the way you grow stuff.

 

[Antau LJn]

I didn't know that rose stems could be rooted. I'm really glad I read this thread. It will make it easier for me to replace my miniature rose.

Neither did I know about starting new African Violets from a leaf. I am inspired to experiment and see how many plants can be started from leaves or stems.

My sister gave my daughter a carnation when my daughter was about 7 or 8 years old. When the flower had died, my daughter cut off the flower head and stuck the stem back into the water. I was surprised when a new flower appeared.

 

[ChanellG]

@Caludine and @Maddie - I'm hoping to start more roses from cuttings but it took months to see a root from that one rose stem! This is an endeavor that truly requires patience! I have to get some plain aspirin and see if that will help the stem to set roots sooner. I may try the stem in soil under a soda bottle outside. I'm just worried I will forget about the cutting and it will perish.

 

[maddie]

@Caludine and @Maddie - I'm hoping to start more roses from cuttings but it took months to see a root from that one rose stem! This is an endeavor that truly requires patience! I have to get some plain aspirin and see if that will help the stem to set roots sooner. I may try the stem in soil under a soda bottle outside. I'm just worried I will forget about the cutting and it will perish.

Channel, patience is a virtue that you learn from gardening and I think it is really worth the wait. Aspirin does not hasten the process as I have found out for myself but it does help you against the odds. The chances of rooting your plants are higher. I have had a few stems that have never rooted try what I might but in a bottle of water to which I added half an aspirin.. both of them have put out tiny roots and leaves in a month and a half. I left the bottle with the stems covered in clear inflated plastic bags in a warm and well lit place where there is no direct sunlight but a good amount of light and heat.

 

[claudine]

My boyfriend can read my mind, he gave me a beautiful, enormous cut rose yesterday - of course now I want to start a new plant from it . It will be very romantic.
When should I put it into the soil? Should I wait until the flower withers?

 

[ChanellG]

My boyfriend can read my mind, he gave me a beautiful, enormous cut rose yesterday - of course now I want to start a new plant from it . It will be very romantic.
When should I put it into the soil? Should I wait until the flower withers?

Claudine, I've always heard you wait until after the flower withers to take the cutting so I'm guessing that's the answer, but if the stem has a leaf you could still try adding aspiring to the water.

Channel, patience is a virtue that you learn from gardening and I think it is really worth the wait. Aspirin does not hasten the process as I have found out for myself but it does help you against the odds.
...I left the bottle with the stems covered in clear inflated plastic bags in a warm and well lit place where there is no direct sunlight but a good amount of light and heat.

Maddie, I'm confused - the stem is in a bottle of aspirin water inside a plastic bag?

 

[maddie]

@ Claudine, enjoy your rose until it starts wilting then remove the leaves if there are too many.. just leaving a couple on the stem is okay. The stem cannot support many leaves without the root.

[quote="ChanellG, post: 8336, member: 199"
Maddie, I'm confused - the stem is in a bottle of aspirin water inside a plastic bag?[/quote]
Yes, You are right. I do that just to ensure that the water is not completely evaporated leaving the stems to dry up. This also ensures that there is the right amount of humidity in there for the stem to take root. I just open up the plastic once in a while to let in some fresh air. This seems to work very well for me.

 

[ChanellG]

Yes, You are right... I just open up the plastic once in a while to let in some fresh air. This seems to work very well for me.

Ah okay. I didn't cover my rose cutting, but the water didn't evaporate. It hasn't made any new leaves so I am wondering if I should wait to put it in soil and sit it outdoors. It gets a decent amount of indirect sun and a small amount of direct sun as the sun moves across a nearby window.

 

[claudine]

ChanellG, Maddie, thank you for your responses, I'll wait until the flower whithers then. It has a few leaves so I guess I'll have to remove some of them. I have one more question: can I cut it into two stems and grow two plants from it? It's really long.

 

[maddie]

Ah okay. I didn't cover my rose cutting, but the water didn't evaporate. It hasn't made any new leaves so I am wondering if I should wait to put it in soil and sit it outdoors. It gets a decent amount of indirect sun and a small amount of direct sun as the sun moves across a nearby window.

In my kind of climate that would be impossible. The water in my glass bottles evaporate drastically. Chanell, I think it may be good to wait for the leaves to make their appearance and the weather to get a little warmer before you put it out to face the fickle weather. However, I think it would be wiser to acclimatize it to the sun outside in degrees before leaving it out permanently.

ChanellG, Maddie, thank you for your responses, I'll wait until the flower whithers then. It has a few leaves so I guess I'll have to remove some of them. I have one more question: can I cut it into two stems and grow two plants from it? It's really long.

If the stem is as thick as a pencil from bottom up it has great chances of rooting and you can have a double bonanza. If the stem at the top is spindly, you may have to chop it off with the flower. However, as you still may have to cut it off, you could try rooting it.. you don't stand to lose anything do ya?
Claudine, when you put your stem to root in water make sure that you cut the cut with a sharp scissors at an angle below the node. The node is where your roots grow from. So ensure that the cut is not too far below the node. See picture below.

Hope that helps.

 

[claudine]

Thank you, Maddie . I see it's not very different from growing miniature roses from cuttings - I was very successful with them (even though I wasn't sure how to do it, I decided to just put some cuttings into the soil) so I hope it will be the same this time, especially since you have given me so many advices . I'm very excited!

 

[ChanellG]

Claudine, the piece of rose stem that I have sitting in water was a left over piece I had because the person who trimmed it off their bush and gave it to me cut it too long. I've seen instructions that show pictures of a branch cut down into two inch pieces and stuck in soil in a bag to root. I'm not that good yet, lol. My leftover piece is the only that survived.

 

[Rzashida]

I've seen the article about, growing rose cuttings from a potato. I think the potato is suppose to keep it moist and the starch can be beneficial. The only question is how do you keep the potato from sprouting? I think I might try this today, and do a comparison of rose cuttings in water.

 

[ChanellG]

That's interesting; I'e never heard of that method before. Do keep us posted on how that goes. Maybe the potato's resources are consumed by the sprouting rose and it doesn't have enough energy to become a vine? I think if you did this in a container you would have less worry about that though. I sprouted a piece of potato just to see if I could and I didn't transplant it in time and it died. At any rate, let us know.

 

[Mommiesbiz1]

My grandmother taught me how to grow roses from cuttings. Roses love sugar so when I recieve a bouquet I always add honey to the water ( natural sugar). The rose buds will open and the flowers last longer too. Once the flower is dead I snip it off and then dip the stem in a little bit of honey again then use the milk jug and soda bottle trick. It normally takes about 8 weeks to start rooting. Honey seems to be a natural rooting agent.

Thanks Maddie for the picture of the cute rose stem. My point in this post is not to throw the gift of a rose stem away, to root it and make a new plant. I didn't know a rose stem could be rooted, just sharing the info for people like me who also didn't know you can root a rose stem. I also root my plants in water.