Rose cuttings: sprouting before rooting is not necessarily a good thing

There are two types of rose cuttings, soil cuttings and water cuttings, and no matter which method we choose, when taking cuttings we always run into the problem of roses sprouting first, which is the rose "false life" phenomenon we have introduced before. For roses, sprouting before rooting is not a good thing, so what exactly should be done about it?

Many people have experience with cuttings, whether successful or failed, and have some understanding of cuttings. Some gardening enthusiasts, in order to improve the survival rate of cuttings, have done no small amount of research, checking how this should be done and whether doing it that way has any effect. As a result, quite a few enthusiasts have heard such a "rumor," which says that for buds that appear early in the cutting process, it is best to remove them.

Why does Gu Niang say here that it is a rumor? Because it has been passed along by word of mouth, but there is no very rigorous fact to explain it. Therefore, one camp says to remove them, and another camp believes that removing them affects root development, and each stands on its own. The two camps argue, yet neither has ever had a solid reason to stand on. And Gu Niang was fortunate enough to accidentally see that a master gardener had compiled this experiment, so today I will share it with everyone. For seedlings that sprout early in the cutting process, should they actually be removed or not?

The first step, of course, is to take cuttings of new branches. To ensure that the subsequent comparison is more objective, the master gardener placed all the branches in the same container for cutting, used a special rose cultivation substrate, and kept temperature, humidity, ventilation, and light consistent.

The master gardener's skill was very good, and the branches were very healthy. In the first week of cutting, many new buds had already grown, and they grew quickly, with the fastest reaching 40 cm. Once the branches and new buds were ready, the next step was the comparison experiment. A total of 10 branches were cut, all of which had already sprouted. The master gardener removed 5 of them, and mixed the removed branches with the untouched branches to ensure the environment was consistent.

After removal came a long waiting period. Those branches whose new buds had been cut off with scissors, although they had two bud points, never sprouted again from then on, until the end. One month later, the answer was revealed. Of the original 10 cut branches, 6 had developed roots. Among the 5 whose new buds had been cut off, 4 branches had developed roots, while the remaining 2 roses that had not had their new buds cut off developed roots, but the root systems were rather weak.

The 4 that had not sprouted performed poorly: 1 rotted black, and 2 branches did not grow even a tiny bit of root. This experiment by the master gardener can be said to have given the two long-arguing camps a result, and in the end there was an objective, scientific fact placed before everyone.

The experiment shows that for new buds that appear in the first week of cutting, we still recommend removing them directly. Even if they are kept, they merely waste nutrients in vain, and the roots that grow later end up with insufficient nutrients instead. In addition, for seedlings after removal, take care to replenish nutrients in time. A liquid fertilizer can be used, as it is absorbed relatively quickly; dilute it and water the roots with it, once a week is enough.

The master gardener's small experiment is shared with everyone, just in time to verify the bud-removal question that everyone cares about. For rose cuttings, it is recommended to keep two bud points, which is safer, and the rest can be removed. But be careful to distinguish: if it has been a long time before sprouting begins, then roots have already formed, which is a normal phenomenon, and at this point there is no need to remove the buds.