Can someone tell me how to take rose cuttings like I’m an idiot please?

[CultureAlienationBoredomandDespair]

I tried last year and it didn’t work at all. We’re currently living in my DPILs house who passes away but the house has just had an offer accepted so we’ll be moving soon.

There’s some lovely rose bushes that I’d like to take cuttings of so that we can plant them in our new home but don’t really know what I’m doing. I wish I could ask someone but I don’t really know any green fingered people.

I could take all the credit for this but truth is I just ask ChatbotGP.

1. When to Take Cuttings:
Roses are quite versatile, and you can take cuttings at different times of the year, with varying success rates:

• Softwood Cuttings (Late Spring/Early Summer): These are the easiest and fastest to root. Look for new, flexible stems that have just started to mature, often below a bloom that has dropped its petals.
• Semi-hardwood Cuttings (Late Summer/Early Fall): These are from partially matured stems that are firmer but still slightly flexible. You might see rosehips forming on these.
• Hardwood Cuttings (Late Fall/Early Winter): These are the slowest and most difficult to root, taken from mature, hardened stems that have entered dormancy. This can be done during winter pruning.

2. What You'll Need:

• Healthy Rose Bush: Choose a vigorous, disease-free plant.
• Clean, Sharp Secateurs or Knife: Essential for clean cuts that heal well and prevent disease. Clean them before and after use.
• Rooting Hormone (Powder or Liquid): While optional, it significantly increases your success rate.
• Pots or a Prepared Bed: Small pots (3-4 inches) with drainage holes are ideal for starting.
• Gritty, Well-Draining Potting Mix: A mix of equal parts coarse sand and perlite or vermiculite, or a potting mix specifically for roses, works well. Avoid fertilizer at this stage.
• Clear Plastic Bag, Cloche, or Plastic Bottle: To create a humid environment.
• Pencil or Small Stick: To make planting holes.
• Bucket of Warm Water: To keep cuttings hydrated immediately after cutting.

3. How to Take the Cuttings:

• Choose the Right Stem: Look for a healthy, green stem about the thickness of a pencil (around 5-9 inches long) that has at least 3-4 leaf nodes (where leaves emerge). If taking softwood cuttings, choose stems that have recently bloomed.
• Prepare the Parent Plant: Water the rose bush well the day before you plan to take cuttings to ensure it's well-hydrated.
• Make the Cut:Remove any flowers or flower buds from the stem.
• Make a clean cut at a 45-degree angle just below a leaf node at the bottom of your chosen cutting.
• Cut the top of the stem about a quarter-inch above a leaf node, ensuring your cutting is 6-8 inches long.
• Remove Leaves: Strip off all but the top one or two sets of leaves. This helps the cutting focus energy on root development.
• Wound the Stem (Optional but Recommended): Lightly scrape or make small vertical slices (about 1/4 inch deep) into the green skin on the bottom inch of the cutting. This exposes the cambium layer, which helps with root formation.
• Place in Water: Immediately place your prepared cuttings in a bucket of warm water to prevent dehydration while you prepare the others.

4. Planting the Cuttings:

• Prepare the Potting Mix: Fill your pots with the gritty, well-draining potting mix and moisten it thoroughly.
• Apply Rooting Hormone: Pour a small amount of rooting hormone into a separate dish. Dip the bottom 1-2 inches of each cutting into the hormone, shaking off any excess.
• Make Planting Holes: Use a pencil or stick to create holes in the potting mix, about 3-4 inches deep. Make them wide enough so the rooting hormone isn't scraped off when you insert the cutting.
• Plant the Cuttings: Carefully insert each cutting into a hole, ensuring at least two nodes are buried in the soil. Gently firm the soil around the cutting to ensure good contact. You can plant several cuttings in one pot, spacing them about 5cm apart.

5. Caring for Your Cuttings:

• Create a Humid Environment: This is crucial for rooting. Cover the pot and cuttings with a clear plastic bag, a cut-off plastic bottle, or a cloche. Ensure the plastic doesn't touch the leaves, as this can lead to mold. You can use small stakes to support the plastic if needed. Leave a small opening for ventilation.
• Location: Place the pot in a warm, bright location with indirect light. Avoid direct, harsh sunlight, which can overheat the cuttings. A shaded windowsill or a greenhouse is ideal.
• Watering: Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy. You may only need to water sparingly, as the humidity cover will help retain moisture. Check the soil moisture regularly.
• Patience: Rooting can take anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks, depending on the type of cutting and conditions.
• Checking for Roots: After a few weeks, you can gently tug on a cutting. If you feel resistance, it means roots are forming. You might also start to see new leaf growth.

6. Transplanting:

• Acclimation: Once your cuttings have rooted well (you'll see roots poking from the bottom of the pot or feel strong resistance when gently tugged), gradually acclimate them to less humid conditions by removing the plastic cover for increasing periods each day.
• Repotting: When the roots are firmly established, carefully transplant the new rose plants into larger individual pots.
• Planting Out: Allow your new rose plants to grow in pots for 9-12 months to develop a strong root system before planting them directly into your garden.

Important Considerations:

• Non-Grafted Roses: For best results, take cuttings from non-grafted roses. Grafted roses have a different rootstock, and the cutting will grow as the rootstock, not the desired rose variety.
• Multiple Cuttings: It's a good idea to take multiple cuttings, as not all of them will successfully root.
• Cleanliness: Always maintain good hygiene with your tools to prevent the spread of diseases.

Cut a bit off a rose, preferably a bit that’s growing strongly not a flowering shoot, about 8inches.

Push it into soil next to rose, or corner of garden/veg bed

Repeat 3/4 more times as some will fail.

Water them in, keep watering first few weeks if dry.

Leave for a year, then dig up and put where you want them.