Rose plants are beautiful and can easily be propagated to produce more and more of them. Just a few plants can turn into a bush in just a few years if you take cuttings and replant them at the right time of year.
The maturity of the cuttings taken will decide how quick the propagation process is.
To know when to transplant rose cuttings, taking some different things into account will be important. The best time of year to transplant rose cuttings is late spring to earlier summer. But, the maturity of the cutting is also important.
Related: Plants that do well in Afternoon Sun
Let’s look at some tips for knowing when to transplant your rose cuttings.
How Do You Transplant Rose Cuttings?
Taking cuttings and replanting them is also known as propagating. It is a way to clone the plant without having to wait for it to go to seed.
Simply cut a section of the stem between 6 and 8 inches long, remove the withered flower. Remove all the leaves or remove all but the top leaves, then replant it.
The stem will then begin to root and will establish itself as a new plant. Plants have this mechanism as a form of reproduction in the wild. Instead of reproducing through seeds, plants will sometimes expand laterally because of fallen sections of stem naturally propagating.
It is important to cut the sections with a clean and sharp knife so that the cut area of both the new stem and the original stem can heal. If the stems are left with a ragged edge, it will be harder for them to heal.
What Time Of Year Is Best To Transplant Rose Cuttings?
Rose plants go dormant in the winter, meaning they do not grow as much, if at all.
Planting the rose cuttings in late spring or early summer will give them enough time in the sun to establish themselves before the frost of winter comes.
Summer months provide the most sunshine that both the new and the original plant will need. Taking cuttings can make both vulnerable.
The Different Types Of Cuttings
There are a few different types of cuttings that will have different care needs.
It is important to choose which type of cutting will be best for your needs.
Knowing when and where to take your rose cuttings will mean different results.
Softwood Cuttings
These cuttings are made from flexible new growth that comes in late spring and early summer.
When a stem has dropped its petals, these stems will start to shoot out from the stem.
They can be planted and will be the fastest to root since they are young and establishing themselves.
Semi-Hardwood Cuttings
When taken in late summer and early fall, these cuttings are harder and more mature.
These stems may have rosehips where the rose flower once was. These small fruits are edible.
The semi-hardwood cuttings will take longer to root than softwood. They may need to be grown in sheltered spots away from the elements, as winter months will be hard on them.
Hardwood Cuttings
These cuttings, as the name suggests, are the hardest type of cutting.
They are taken in late fall or early winter after the new years stems have matured, and the flowers have departed.
These cuttings will be the slowest of all.
Propagating from hardwood cuttings will be slow, as the cutting will be dormant until the spring. It will take some roots during the winter but will not grow from the stem until the sun comes out again.
They should be grown in a trench, spaced apart.
Wait until the next fall to move them to where you want.
Rooting Rose Cuttings In Soil
- Take a 2-liter soda bottle and cut the bottom portion off.
- Fill another container with potting soil.
- Cut below a leaf node.
- Remove all the leaves.
- Remove a few thorns at the bottom – this will leave wounds on the stem.
- Dip the end in rooting hormone powder (some people use honey).
- Water the soil in the container.
- Make a hole with a pencil, then place the cutting in the hole.
- Place the soda bottle over the cutting – leave the lid off if the weather is very warm.
- Humidity will build up inside the bottle.
- After about a month or six weeks for semi-hardwood in early spring for hardwood cuttings, you should be able to see roots at the bottom of the container peeping through the drainage holes.
- Remove the bottle for a few hours every day to acclimatize the plant until you can leave it off completely.
- Place in the sun a little at a time until you can plant up in your larger container or the garden bed during late winter or early spring.
- Fertilize with an organic slow-release fertilizer.
- Water well.
Rooting Rose Cuttings In Water
- Cut the rose stem at an angle just below a leaf node.
- Remove the lower leaves, only leaving the top ones.
- Fill a glass jar with water and place cuttings in it.
- Change the water once a week.
- New leaves will begin to sprout after about two weeks.
- Roots will begin to grow after about a month to 6 weeks.
- When the roots are about 1-2 inches long, plant up in a good potting mix and keep in the shade for now.
Takeaways
The best time to propagate rose cuttings is late spring to early summer.
Soft-wood cuttings will be the fastest to propagate.
Rose cuttings will be dormant over winter.