Here comes the detailed tutorial on bud grafting climbing roses onto rose rootstock

Before grafting, you need to be somewhat selective about the rose varieties you graft, though this is not mandatory, just a reference, especially for gardeners doing grafting for the first time, it is best to start with some varieties that have a high grafting success rate. Once you have had one or two successes, you can then choose the varieties you like to graft on your own.

The roses we are going to try grafting this time are relatively large climbing roses or shrub roses. For this kind of grafting, it is best to choose those with large, fragrant flowers that easily grow many branches (the kind that seem to grow into a big mass no matter how they grow) and with relatively good upright stems (roses generally grow upright, and here we mean the varieties with even better upright growth).

Varieties meeting the above conditions are more suitable for grafting into tree roses, and after grafting they usually grow to be quite ornamental. Of course, some floribunda rose varieties with abundant flowers and many branches are also very suitable, and some shrub roses with relatively soft stems that bend and droop easily are also fairly suitable, and they look quite beautiful after grafting.

The first step is to cut off the leaves of the rose stems, or you can just pull them off by hand. The second step is to start on the rootstock (that is, the rose being grafted onto); when choosing the rootstock here, select healthy, robust, relatively upright stems. First remove all the branches on the stem, since all we need is a bare stem. The length can be chosen at will, but considering the future growth of the rose, 1-1.5 m is recommended.

The third step is to begin bud grafting. First open up the rose stem for peeling: make a horizontal cut five or six cm below the growth point on the stem, with a length of 1-2 cm, then make a vertical cut, also 1-2 cm long, so that the two cuts form a "T" shape.

Stop cutting once the cut reaches the xylem. What kind of degree is this? The outside of the stem is a layer of brown bark, and inside is a pale yellow or white woody layer, and the woody layer is clearly harder than the bark. When making the cut, at first when you cut into the bark it feels relatively easy, then as you cut further in, you feel it is hard and difficult to cut through; at this point you have cut to the woody layer and can stop.

The fourth step is to start grafting the rose stem. After cutting, use the knife to lift open the vertical cut. Beforehand, also remove the leaves from the rose stem, cut off the section with the tender shoot, and keep the lower section that is relatively thick with plump buds. Make a 45-degree horizontal cut one cm below a bud to cut the bud off.

The fifth step is to insert the cut bud into the opened "T" cut on the rose stem, with the bud just exposed, and close the T-shaped cut. The sixth step is to wrap it with plastic film, and note here that you must not cover the bud. Just start below the bud and wrap around it round after round.

After waiting ten days to half a month, if the bud is still green, that means it has taken. At this point you can cut off the small section of rose stem above the bud. This allows the bud to get more nutrients and grow faster and better. After grafting, if other new shoots grow on the rose stem below the grafted growth point, these branches should be pruned off, first for the overall beauty and shape, and second because they will affect the growth of the rose above the growth point.