A guide to cutting roses in the fall at home for beginning gardeners

Despite the huge range of flowering plants, the popularity of roses does not decrease. This noble flower is good both in bouquets and in flower beds, so many gardeners try to grow and propagate it on their own. The rose cannot be called an unpretentious plant, but if all the rules of agricultural technology are diligently followed, it rewards with beautiful fragrant flowers.

Let's talk in detail about one of the methods of propagating roses - cuttings in the fall at home. How to do this and why in the fall, read in our article.

What is cuttings

Cuttings are a method of propagation by cuttings. A cutting is a part of a living, healthy shoot of a certain length with several buds. It is cut from the mother plant and rooted in various ways: in water, soil, peat, moss, etc.

This method is very popular when propagating many flower, fruit, berry, and ornamental crops. Experts advise using it due to the high survival rate of planting material and low labor intensity. Usually even inexperienced gardeners and gardeners can cope with cuttings.

Features of autumn cuttings of roses

Autumn cuttings are considered a gentle method of propagation. At this time of year, all crops are preparing for a dormant period, and vegetative processes slow down. In the spring, planting material prepared in the fall will quickly grow.

Advantages and disadvantages

There are enough advantages to cutting roses in autumn:

1. In the future, the bushes do not form wild shoots. This gives them a more decorative look and greatly simplifies care.
2. The plants turn out to be more hardy and frost-resistant than those rooted in the spring. Even if the ground part of the bush freezes in a harsh winter, it is restored due to new shoots forming on the roots.
3. It is not difficult to find planting material. You can take shoots cut during pre-winter formation, or root roses from a bouquet.

Some gardeners are skeptical about autumn cuttings of roses, arguing that the survival rate with this method is low. However, this only becomes clear in practice, since various factors influence this. One of them is variety.

You should not take cuttings from hybrid tea, remontant and park roses. It's better to choose:

• polyanthaceae;
• miniature;
• climbing and semi-climbing;
• from the Rambler group;
• Excels roses;
• varieties Flammentanz, Iceberg, Rosalind.

Deadlines

The optimal time for autumn cuttings of roses is the end of October or the beginning of November. Region also matters:

• in central Russia – October;
• in Siberia and the Urals - mid-September and early October;
• in the south - from late October to early November.

Another reference point is the air temperature: night readings are from -1°C to -3°C, daytime readings are about +15°C.

How to properly cut roses in the fall at home

The cuttings are cut with a knife. It must first be sharpened, washed, doused with boiling water and disinfected with alcohol.

Flowers from a bouquet

For cuttings, take healthy, strong roses that have not yet dried out, so you will have to sacrifice flowers.

Procedure:

1. The flower is cut straight from the branch. The lower part is cut at an angle of 45°.The middle one is divided into cuttings of 12-15 cm each. Each must have at least 3 healthy buds, the first - no higher than 15 cm from the bottom cut, the last - 0.5 cm to the top.
2. The lower leaves are removed. The top ones are cut by half or 1/3.
3. The upper cut is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate or cauterized with brilliant green.
4. For a day, the cuttings are placed in a solution of a growth stimulator.
5. The next day, the lower cut of the cuttings is sprinkled with a growth stimulator in the form of a powder and placed in a container with special soil for roses at an angle of 45°, deepened by 1.5-2 cm. The soil is watered with clean and warm water.
6. A greenhouse is built on top - covered with a transparent bag or a cut plastic bottle.
7. The containers are placed in a warm, well-lit place. Every day the greenhouse is removed for ventilation. Water only when the top layer of soil dries out.

Propagating roses from a bouquet is not a very successful method. Out of 10 cuttings, as a rule, only 2-3 take root.

From the bush

When cutting from rose bushes growing in open ground, the chances of success are higher. Planting material is initially stronger and healthier than that obtained from a bouquet. They work with it in a similar way, but taking into account some nuances:

1. Healthy shoots are cut from the bush and placed in a glass or jar of water. Greenhouse conditions are also created from above and the entire structure is placed under a fluorescent lamp.
2. After some time, young shoots with reddish leaves form on the branches. When they turn dark green, the branches are cut into cuttings.
3. They are placed in a solution of a growth stimulator. After 1.5-2 months, roots will appear.
4. When they grow 1 cm, the cuttings are planted in the ground.

Rooting cuttings in potatoes

An alternative method is to root cuttings in potato tubers.It is believed that the valuable substances contained in potatoes nourish roses.

Procedure:

1. Fresh sections of cuttings are treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and placed in a 1:1 solution of aloe juice.
2. After 12 hours, eyes are cut out of the potatoes and rose cuttings are stuck into them.
3. The tubers are placed in pots, covered 2/3 with soil and watered with a dark solution of potassium permanganate.
4. Finally, greenhouses are built over the pots - covered with transparent bags, jars or cut plastic bottles. Such greenhouses create a greenhouse effect, which promotes the rooting of cuttings.
5. The pots are placed in a warm place where it is light but not exposed to direct sunlight.
6. While the cuttings are taking root, they are watered with warm, settled water as the top layer of soil dries.

Once every 5 days, sweetened water is used for watering (2 teaspoons of sugar per 1 tbsp.). Sugar supports the vital activity of cuttings that have not yet taken root.

Attention! Many gardeners are skeptical about rooting rose cuttings in potatoes, and numerous reviews confirm the ineffectiveness of this method.

In the package

The method is based on the fact that a moist environment is constantly maintained around the cut of the cutting, where the roots should appear. A freshly cut rose cutting at the base is wrapped in wet moss (available in gardening stores) and placed in a plastic bag, which is then inflated and tied. Just like the greenhouse in the method described above, the package is placed in a bright, warm place.

To have a greater chance of success, the moss can be moistened not with water, but with a solution of aloe juice (1 part juice to 9 parts water) or a growth stimulator. The effect should be expected after 3-4 weeks.

Burrito method

This method requires a minimum of effort, so it is suitable for inexperienced gardeners.However, the result is not 100% guaranteed.

Shoots for cuttings should be thicker than with other methods.

Algorithm:

1. Cuttings are cut 20 cm long, all leaves are removed.
2. Fresh sections are treated with a growth stimulator (“Epin” or “Kornevin”).
3. Then the cuttings are collected in a bundle, tied, wrapped in wet newspaper, put in a bag and this time put away in a dark, cool place (+15°C...+18°C).

Roots should form in about 2 weeks. All this time, make sure that the newspaper is damp and that the cuttings do not begin to rot. If successful, the roots will appear in 1.5 months.

Aftercare

In a small pot with a volume of about 200 ml with holes at the bottom, pour drainage - small pebbles, expanded clay, etc. - about 1/4 full. Next, add special soil for roses, place the cutting with roots and water it with warm, settled water. The excess should pour out through the drainage holes.

Just as with rooting, planted shoots require greenhouse conditions. The pots are covered with transparent plastic bags, cut-off bottles or glass jars and placed on a warm, well-lit windowsill.

Every day the greenhouse is ventilated so that the air is renewed and the earth does not sour. After 2 weeks, the sprouts are gradually accustomed to new conditions, removing the cover first for half an hour, then for an hour, etc. Within a week, the plants adapt and the greenhouses are dismantled.

Water roses under cover a little - as the top layer of soil dries. Overmoistening in greenhouse conditions is dangerous - even rooted shoots can rot.

The appearance of young leaves indicates that it is time to feed the shoots with complexes of mineral and organic fertilizers for roses.

Attention! Buds may appear on young bushes. They should be torn off, otherwise the plants will use all their strength on them and will not develop either the roots or the above-ground part.

During the dormant period - from late autumn to late winter - pink shoots also need good lighting, but a cool climate. They are protected from heat sources (heaters, heaters, etc.).

Timing and technology of transplanting cuttings into open ground

Cuttings rooted in autumn grow at home all winter. In the spring they are transplanted into the garden.

Roses love warmth and light, so choose a place for them on the site that is protected from drafts and well lit, preferably on the south side. Flower beds along fences, buildings or hedges are good for this. The soil should be loose, rich in organic fertilizers, without stagnant water.

Roses are transplanted into open ground using the transshipment method. The plant is carefully removed from the pot and, together with a lump of earth, placed in the hole. Considering that rose bushes grow very voluminous, the distance between the holes is at least 50 cm. The bushes are sprinkled with earth at the base, mulched with humus and formed around the hole for rational watering.

Reference. To make a flower bed with roses look more aesthetically pleasing, it is better to plant the bushes not in rows, but in a checkerboard pattern.

Rooting cuttings immediately on the site

In order not to injure the plants with spring replanting and to free themselves from winter troubles, some gardeners practice rooting rose cuttings immediately in the open ground. This is done a little earlier than when rooting at home - in the second half of September, no later than the 25th.

The location on the site is selected as described above. Dig a furrow 30 cm deep, fill it 2/3 with grass and well-rotted compost. Roses are planted in a row at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other. The cuttings are stuck into the ground in the same way as when rooting in a pot - at an angle of 45°, but only the 2 upper buds are left on the surface, and the 2 lower ones are buried in the ground. The soil is watered. It is subsequently moistened as it dries.

With the onset of cold weather and the first frosts, the cuttings are covered with jars and covered with grass or hay. You can make a common greenhouse for the entire flowerbed by building a frame, covering it with plastic wrap and sprinkling earth around the edges. When frosts begin, such a greenhouse is completely covered with mulch, and during the winter - with snow. This way the cuttings will successfully overwinter and begin to grow in the spring.

Read also:

Is it possible to grow petunia as a houseplant?

How to grow petunia from seeds at home

Guide to cutting petunia in summer

Storing rose cuttings from winter until spring

Planting roses in spring is also popular. If planting material has already been prepared, the question arises of how to preserve it in the winter so that it remains viable. How to do it:

1. A small hole (about 15 cm deep) is dug in the garden or vegetable garden, the bottom and walls are lined with straw or peat and covered with cotton fabric or other covering material.
2. Leaves are removed from the prepared cuttings. The cuttings are laid out at the bottom of the hole at an equal distance from each other, carefully covered with the same material and sprinkled with earth.
3. It is advisable to mark the edges of the hole with pegs or twigs so that it is easy to find in the spring.

When the snow melts in the spring, the cuttings are removed from winter storage and examined. On viable ones, a peculiar growth is noticeable - callus.Roots subsequently appear on it.

It is better to plant the extracted cuttings immediately. If they wait a day or more for planting, it is recommended to put them in water, adding a little Epin.

Conclusion

Autumn cuttings (propagation by cuttings) are practiced much more often than grafting. Roses grown in this way take root well and grow both at home and in open ground. They are hardy and strong and, with proper care, delight the gardener with abundant and lush flowering.