FUN WORLD

Here are the main methods use to propagate these lovely flowers.

1.Propagation by cuttings

At hand and very easy to do, all you need to know about this method is where to cut the stem. It is advised to cut a 25-35 cm long stem removing the tip and trimming the bottom of the stem cutting horizontally below a node. Make sure you choose a healthy plant, that shouldn’t have spots, dryness on the stem, scars or parasites. Also you need to remove any existing flowers and leafs excepting the 2 top leafs of that cutting. This will ensure best chances for your new cut to produce roots. The node refers to that spot where leafs or buds emerge from the stem. The top cut is to be made above a node and the bottom cut (where the new roots will spring from) has to be made below a leaf node. Once you’ve got your cutting right, keep in mind that the more cuttings you have, the better the chances are for them to root because in roses propagation if 70% to 80% of the planted stems make roots, you’ve done it successfully!

Place your cuttings in a spot with enough light but not on direct sun; your roses should have at least 6 hours of light per day. Plant your stems in sandy soil with two thirds of the cuttings’ length inserted in the ground and 6 to 8 cm distance in between. It is important to water them afterward and cover them with a plastic cut bottle that will create a greenhouse micro-climate for your rose thus enhancing its rooting chances even more. This way, the cutting should be rooted in the following spring yet it will only be fit to move to its permanent location in late fall.

Growing hormones can be added to increase the success of this method so if you choose to use it, deep the bottom of your cutting in it before planting in the soil. Some roses root quicker than others and this method is not suitable for all roses types but it usually goes well with garden roses, small roses and climbers.

2.Propagation by layering

This method is so easy yet only suitable for roses with flexible and long enough branches. Propagation by layering doesn’t require a greenhouse or other protected environment because all the gardeners do is to take that longer branch, bend it into the ground and then place something on it to keep it there. The branch will grow its own roots before being separated from its parent rose. Only after the plant has developed enough roots, it can be cut from the mother rose and planted on its own. Using this method the rooting reaches maturity in 10-15 months.

3.Propagation by grafting

It is not as difficult as it looks, this process is usually performed in the fall and what happens here is that a small bud is cut from the rose you want to propagate and is added to the stem of the nurse rose by means of a "T" shaped incision in the superficial layer of the stem. It is afterward wrapped with tape for 3 or 4 weeks but it can also remain wrapped until spring. Grafting is preferred when you want to create rose trees, when you want to enjoy the flowers faster than with the other methods.

4.Seedling Method

It is the only method used to find new rose varieties as well as to improve the existing ones, but it requires a long preparation time to obtain results. Basically the seeds are collected from the hips (the red-brownish fruit of the rose) and hips will be dried before seed extraction. Then a winter is simulated by keeping the seeds in the refrigerator for two months. After the induced winter, the seeds are planted in sterile soil. The rose plants usually germinate fast and they keep growing for 8-12 weeks. The buds appear in approximately a month and a half while the rose is small, but the main features of the new plant show very well.

5.Propagation in vitro

This procedure requires special knowledge and a laboratory but it is a rapid multiplication technique efficient in producing healthy, disease-free plants with the specific traits desired. It is the fastest technique, it takes only 2 months to come up with the same results the other methods require 10-15 months for.