How to root a rose stem

[veg11]

growing new rose plants from stems sounds like it can save you a LOT of money What I'm wondering is, can you do that with all the other plants and flowers?

 

[ChanellG]

growing new rose plants from stems sounds like it can save you a LOT of money What I'm wondering is, can you do that with all the other plants and flowers?

Yes, you can do it with almost all plants and flowers. Some plants are easier than others and it can be a very frustrating process. Just type propagate and the name of the plant you want to take cuttings from to see the best approach for that plant. Some plants are easier to grow from seed and some are best grown from cuttings.

 

[veg11]

would old cuttings from the local florist be all right?

 

[ChanellG]

would old cuttings from the local florist be all right?

Good question; I've recently read that people have had success rooting stems of purchased roses. I'd always heard that florist flowers were chemically treated to make them last longer, but I'd also read you could use the seeds from some flowers to plant new ones. I guess it just depends on where the flowers come from and how they are handled.

 

[claudine]

would old cuttings from the local florist be all right?

I agree with ChanellG, it depends on a florist. I plan to root a stem of a purchased rose in the near future, so I will keep you posted. As far as I know it's easier to root it if the rose was bought during summer. These that bloom during winter are always chemically treated - at least in my climate zone.

 

[ChanellG]

I will have to keep that in mind - here in the south it's pretty warm, even in the winters. We get lots of foods from other southern/sunny places like Florida and California so I would guess the flowers come from those states as well. It's also possible that they are grown in nearby greenhouses. I'll have to look into that.

 

[claudine]

Ok, it's my second attempt on growing new rose plants from stems. I just cut my rose into two steams. This time I decided to put them to root in water. It's so exciting!

 

[ChanellG]

Well, I already lost one cutting and the second one isn't looking so good either. I don't know if the aspirin was too strong or i put too much water in the container or what, but from now on I am just going to use plain water again and see what happens. Though I am tempted to try the potato method.

 

[claudine]

I decided to use plain water. Aspirin method seems too drastic to me. The less chemicals, the better.
Should I add fresh water from time to time or not?

 

[ChanellG]

Well, I would just stick it in plain water and just check the level from time to time to be sure the water hasn't evaporated. That is what I did with the last cutting and it stayed green the entire time. I would have a nice little rose bush growing now if I hadn't gotten anxious and decided to plant it in soil and stick it outdoors the moment it started to develop roots.

It will take several weeks before the cutting roots in water - almost 2 months. I probably should have waited a few more weeks, transplanted it indoors and then waited for new leaves before setting it outside.

 

[claudine]

2 months? I'm so impatient, it will be hard for me . Do you think it can interfere the rooting process if I'll move the stem a little bit from time to time ? I cut it at an angle but it doesn't want to stay in the middle of the jar and I worry that if the end of it will be to close to the glass, it won't be able to drink the water.

 

[maddie]

I have a couple of stems in water.. My husband brought me a few roses the other day and now the stems are in Aspirin water.
I have been able to successfully row carnations this way. I haven't tried other flowers thus far.

 

[ChanellG]

Claudine, I don't think moving the stem will be much of an issue, The one I had that rooted moved around a bit when I would move the container it was in to check the water level. What did my cutting in was too much moisture once I potted it. :-(

 

[claudine]

I won't hurry with planting it in soil then. But I wish it had roots already, I really want to succeed this time!
Maddie, I hope that your stems will turn into beautiful plants soon

 

[ChanellG]

I completely understand! It's so frustrating when the cuttings don't make it; it doesn't help at all that I was so close the last time. Live and learn, I guess. Of course by the time I arrived at my mother's yesterday I didn't think to check her roses to see if any needed to be dead headed.

One thing I didn't do with the last two cuttings is cut off thorns near the bottom - this may have been a factor in my lack of success. I also didn't remember to wound the stem. (Sigh)