Contents
Discover how to grow rose from cuttings faster with these 10 secrets! Learn to propagate roses successfully and enhance your garden with beautiful blooms.
We will also show you two simple and unique hacks to get a 100% success rate in rooting rose cuttings.
We also discuss some very important factors like Where to keep these cuttings for rooting. When to take out and repot them independently? And how frequently and how much to water these cuttings?
I am sure most of us have failed many times trying to propagate roses from cuttings.
Rooting Rose stem or branch cuttings need some special care and application of certain hacks and tricks, unlike other plant cuttings which are easy to grow.
You get a genetically identical copy of your Parent tree which is not the case with a seed-grown plant, which differs significantly from its parent plant.
Whether you are growing rose cuttings in water or in soil, use these common tips and tricks on how to grow a rose from a cutting, that will give you the best results.
- PROMOTES ROOTING: Rooting hormone grows new plants from cuttings
- GROW CUTTINGS: Works with most popular home, garden and greenhouse varieties
How To Choose The Right Rose Cuttings?
The first and foremost criterion for choosing cuttings is selecting a disease-free branch. Make sure you choose a healthy branch free of any disease like rose die-back disease or any fungal black spots or white spots. If you choose a diseased branch, the rooting will certainly fail.
Secondly always choose semi woody cuttings from the branch which is healthy with young shoots and leaves at its tip. This type of cutting has the ideal balance of moisture and firmness, allowing it to root effectively while also providing the necessary nutrients for growth.
Length of the Cutting
- This is very important and should neither be too long nor too short. An ideal length for best results would be 6 to 8 inches or max 10 inches.
- This length also depends on the internode distance of a branch which varies with the plant species.
- Remember one rule of thumb: the success rate of rooting is inversely proportional to the inter-node distance. That means the lesser the internode distance, the greater the chances of success.
Cutting Tool
- A clean and sharp cutting blade or pruner is important. So, disinfect it using hydrogen peroxide swab or any household disinfectant you have.
- A germ-free cutting is shown to produce great results.
Cutting Point
- Make a sharp clean cut about half to one inch below a node. This is where the rooting starts.
- Do not make a crushing cut which can damage the plant tissue and the outcome may be poor.
Cutting Angle
- A 45-degree cutting angle using a sharp and clean cutting tool is shown to provide the best results and faster rooting because this gives the maximum surface area to produce roots and also it helps the cutting to absorb water quickly.
Removing Leaves & Flowers
- Remove the lower leaves and leave only a pair of top leaves. Cuttings do not have the root system to take up water yet, so fewer leaves means less stress on the cutting.
- Also, Remove any flowers on the branch by snipping off dead or any flowers along with their twigs. This is to divert energy to root development.
Sealing the Top
- This simple hack gives the best results by retaining the moisture within the cutting. If you want to grow rose from cuttings successfully with a 100% rooting rate, then this hack increases the chances of success!
- Simply light a Candle and pour on few drops of wax on the upper end of the cutting to seal it to prevent moisture loss from this top end. Check out my 100 Gardening Hacks Post.
- [Tree Wound Sealer] — Fast, easy, and effective dressing designed to aid in the healing of any kind of pruning cut, graft, or wound.
- [Protect Your Trees] — Our Tree Wound Sealer is specially designed to protect wounds and cuts on trees, allowing them to grow stronger.
Orientation of The Stem Cutting:
Make sure you insert the cuttings in proper orientation and not reverse, especially if the cutting does not have any leaves on it. You can identify this by looking at the orientation of thorns and nodes.
The Growing Medium
- This is very important. If you are rooting in water, the container water should be changed every 4-5 days or at least weekly to prevent contamination and infection.
- If you are using Potting soil, use loose or well-draining soil for faster root development.
- You can choose sandy soil, cocopeat or peat moss, perlite, and stuff like that. Or you can make your own potting mix using all this stuff or whatever is available.
Insertion depth
- How deep should I insert the cuttings? This is another important factor to consider. An insertion depth of 2 inches is considered better, one reason perhaps is better anchorage into the soil and keeps the cutting less disturbed.
Rose Cuttings Rooting Hack:
- This simple rooting hack will help not only get faster results but also guaranteed results. If you have rooting hormone powder like Indole Butyric Acid (IBA) or Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA), that’s great, you can apply this to the cuttings. But, If you do not have it, you can use a lot of natural rooting agents. One such stuff is Aloe vera. Yes Aloe vera has anti-microbial and rooting properties. You just cut a fleshy piece of aloe vera leaf, split it and place the cutting or just insert the lower end of the cutting into this piece and then insert into soil. The success rate using this method is great. You can also use this trick for air layering.
Growing Conditions for the Cutting
- Where to keep these cuttings? When to take out and repot them independently? And how frequently and how much to water these cuttings?
- These factors are very important and matter a lot for achieving best results.
- One common mistake people do is – taking out the cutting too early to check for roots. This happens because, when they see fresh shoots and leaves coming, they think adequate roots would have formed and they tend to remove it for transplanting. This is not right. Minimum period of at least 4 to 6 weeks or even more, is must, before sufficient roots have formed.
- Other factors like, A warm and humid environment is very important for rooting.
- Do not keep the cuttings in direct sunlight to avoid moisture loss before rooting. Keep them in indirect bright light.
- To maintain humidity and prevent moisture evaporation you can cover with a polythene bag and make some small holes for air circulation.
- You can water them only if the top soil is dry on touch or finger dip, or roughly you can water once every 2-3 days for best results depending on the climate. You can check my post on How to care for your Rose bush and get maximum flowering in the Rose plant from this LINK.
Brief on How to Grow Rose From Seeds
If You are trying to grow roses from seeds, I recommend the best alternative is to grow new plants from cuttings, as it is often considered the easiest way to propagate roses.
If you want to grow rose bush from seeds, the following points have to be kept in mind:
1. Preparing the seeds. First of all, collect rose hips or seed pods on a fine, dry day from healthy plants, twist fruits, take out the seeds, and clean them. Cleaned seeds are spread out to stop the development of the fungus.
2. Stratification. The seeds should be placed in the refrigerator for about 10-12 weeks to mimic winter. Further stratification is carried out by sowing for 30-40 days at a temperature of 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Choose a good seed-starting mix. The mixture should drain well so that there is no root rot.
4. Sow seeds about a quarter-inch deep in small pots or trays: put them in a bright spot at 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Water the seeds right. Keep the soil moist but not too wet for the seedlings to grow.
6. Give the seedlings a lot of sunlight. Put the pots on the window sill so that the rose hips receive at least six hours of sunlight per day.
7. Be patient. Rose hips can germinate from four to sixteen weeks, so do not despair if you haven’t seen any changes for weeks.
8. Transplant carefully. After the sprout has about two to three true leaves and it’s already safe to thaw, you can change the bedding or move it to a pot.
9. Make sure the soil is correct and healthy. Slightly acidic, sandy soil with lots of organic matter and good drainage is ideal for hips.
10. Do not let any pests or diseases attack. First of all, you need to use organic methods to protect yourself from such problems that are increasingly easy to prevent if there is knowledge and proper care. Also, make sure that the seedlings have enough air circulation to avoid problems. Prune hips more frequently. Try to cut as soon as possible anything weak or dead to encourage further flowering. Finally, some common problems such as damping-off disease can cause some harm to your rose hips, so it would be a good idea to learn how to recognize, prevent, and control the threat properly.
FAQS on Propagating Rose Plant
Q: What is the best time of year to take rose cuttings?
A: The best time to take rose cuttings is during late spring or early summer. This is when the stems are softwood cuttings, which are easier to propagate and have a higher success rate for root growth.
Q: How long should the rose stem be when taking cuttings?
A: When you take rose cuttings, they should be at least 6 inches long. This length ensures that the cutting has enough nodes and a good amount of stem for successful root development.
Q: How should I cut the rose stem for propagation?
A: When you take a cutting from the rose stem, make sure to cut at a 45-degree angle just below a leaf node. This helps increase the surface area for rooting and stimulates root growth.
Q: What is the process to prepare the cuttings for planting?
A: After taking the cuttings, remove the leaves on the stem except for the top set of leaves. Then, dip the cut end in rooting hormone to encourage root growth before planting it in soil.
Q: How do I ensure the cuttings will successfully root?
A: To ensure the cuttings will successfully root, plant them in a well-draining soil mix and keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. Cover the cutting with a plastic bag to maintain humidity around the cutting.
Q: Can I use household items to help propagate rose cuttings?
A: Yes, you can use a potato to help propagate rose cuttings. Insert the cut end of the rose cutting into a potato and plant the potato in soil. This method provides moisture and nutrients to the cutting as it develops roots.
Q: What type of container should I use to grow roses from cuttings?
A: Use a small pot or container with good drainage to grow roses from cuttings. This helps prevent waterlogging and encourages a healthy root system. You can find suitable containers at your local home improvement store.
Q: How often should I water the cuttings?
A: Water the soil around the cuttings regularly to keep it consistently moist. However, avoid overwatering as it can cause the cuttings to rot. Check the soil moisture frequently to ensure it remains damp but not soggy.
Q: Can I propagate roses from cuttings taken in the fall?
A: Although it is possible to take cuttings in the fall, the success rate is generally lower compared to spring or summer. Fall cuttings may take longer to root and may require more care to ensure successful propagation.
Q: How long does it take for rose cuttings to develop new roots?
A: It usually takes several weeks for rose cuttings to develop new roots. The exact time can vary depending on the rose variety, environmental conditions, and care. Patience and proper care will eventually result in a new rose plant.
Happy Gardening!
Please Watch this detailed step by step video on how to root rose cuttings below:
Last update on 2025-06-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
