Getting a rose cuttings at home is not difficult. To do this you need to know a few details and create the right conditions. Propagation of plants by their parts, without the use of seeds is called vegetative. This method of propagation allows us to obtain plants which retain all the characteristics of the mother plant. This is the best way to propagate roses, because growing roses from seed is a long and more complicated process.
Choosing a donor
The donor or mother plant must meet some requirements. First of all, it must be perfectly healthy, with no external signs of disease or pest infestation. Obviously, this plant needs to satisfy itself with characteristics such as bud color and size, scent, bush habit (foliage and power), hardiness, etc. In this regard, to choose a donor plant, it’s better to avoid roses from South America and Africa. These roses are usually treated with preservatives for better preservation and are of little use for cutting. The origin of the roses can be checked with the retailer. The best choice is the material of local growers. As a rule, these are stems with many leaves and buds with a pronounced scent of living roses. The leaves should be firm and not withered. Stems with buds that have not fully opened are most suitable. The optimum stem thickness for cuttings is comparable to the thickness of a pencil.
Getting the cuttings ready
Pod is the part of a rose stem with a petiole and a 5 or 7 lobed leaf. The length of the cuttings should be 5 to 6 cm. The larger part of the cuttings should be below the leaf. It is very important to have a bud at the point where the leaf petiole grows from the stem. It represents a small cone-shaped outgrowth of about 0.5 cm. green solution. If there is a dark spot in its place, it indicates that a stepchild has grown from the bud during the growth of the shoot, which has been removed. Such a cuttings will not be suitable for propagation. Having selected suitable material, we proceed to cut cuttings. You may or may not get more than one from a single stem. The cutting should be done with a very sharp knife or secateurs. Before cutting, the tool should be disinfected with an alcoholic solution. It is better to make the bottom cut at a 45 degree angle, the top cut is straight (horizontal). The cuttings are scanned carefully and if there is any significant damage to the leaves or blemishes, they are discarded. Good cuttings are placed for 4-6 hours in a refrigerator with a temperature of 5-6 degrees.
Planting cuttings
A volume of 150-200 ml is enough for a rose cuttings to take root. As a soil or filler can be used:
The usual seedling peat soil
Coconut substrate
Vermiculite
The main thing is that the substrate should be decontaminated, moisture- and air-permeable. Sprouting peat substrate is preferred because it is filled with the necessary elements of nutrition. Growing cuttings in it, you can not think about fertilizers, the manufacturers have already taken care of this. Coconut substrate is soaked in water before use to get rid of the salts in it. Since there are no nutrients in it, as well as in vermiculite, it will be necessary to constantly add nutrients in the process of cultivation. There is a method in which the cuttings are immersed in a medium-sized potato with previously removed eyelets. It is believed that the pulp of potatoes with a lot of starch and minerals can be a stimulant to start the growth of the root system, which then sprouts in the soil, where the potato with cuttings is placed. This method can be used with a certain amount of skill and gives a positive result.
Planted in the selected substrate cuttings, well moistened with water at room temperature and covered with transparent material: film, glass, etc.p. This is necessary to maintain a high relative humidity. During the rooting period it should not be less than 90%. It is best to keep the leaf moist at all times. The temperature should be 25-28 degrees.
Cultivating and protecting cuttings
After the bud appears and the sprout appears, transparent coating is removed and the temperature is gradually reduced to 22-24 degrees and humidity to 60-70%, without allowing the substrate to dry out. The appearance of the first leaves indicates that the cuttings have formed a root system. If growing in an inert substrate, you need to fertilize with complex water-soluble fertilizers containing macro-and micronutrients, according to the instructions for use.
The conditions under which the rooting and further growth occurs are ideal not only for the cuttings, but also for the causative agent of such a disease as powdery mildew. With active development it can kill a young sprout in a matter of days. At the first manifestations of the disease (the appearance of dark spots on the leaves and stem, covered with a powdery plaque) it is necessary to treat with fungicide, such as “Topaz”, “Skor”, “Strobi”. In 1-2 days after treatment carefully examine the stem and leaves and repeat the treatment if necessary. For a better effect, a drop of liquid soap can be added to the fungicide solution. It is necessary to strictly adhere to the dosage. Young shoots and leaves are very susceptible and easily burned.
After the stem and leaves will acquire a dark green color, rooted cuttings can be planted in a permanent place, taking care not to damage the root system.
