Detailed Guide to Rose Cutting Propagation Methods and Steps

Rose cutting methods are divided into hardwood cuttings and softwood cuttings. Hardwood cuttings are taken in November each year in conjunction with winter pruning. Select healthy branches and cut them to about 10 cm, with three to four leaf buds, insert them into sandy soil, water thoroughly, and cover with plastic film to retain warmth and moisture. Roots generally form by April, and they can be transplanted in June. Softwood cuttings are taken from February to June. From plants with dense sprouting, take healthy softwood shoots 5 to 7 cm long and insert them into washed river sand, water thoroughly, cover with plastic film, and water two to three times a day, ventilating at noon. Roots form in one month.

Preparation Before Rose Cutting Propagation

1. Weeding and turning the soil. For each mu of cutting bed, mix in 200 kg of decomposed farmyard manure (cow dung) and 25 kg of superphosphate as base fertilizer. To reduce disease in cuttings, disinfect the soil before cutting: spray the soil with a 500 to 800 times dilution of 50% tebuconazole wettable powder or an 800 times dilution of 50% carbendazim wettable powder, then cover with plastic film for 3 to 4 days. After removing the film, wait 1 week before cutting.

2. Number of cuttings. There are currently 9 solar greenhouses available. The specifications of the solar greenhouses are: 60*8 (m). With a cutting density of 5*5 (cm), excluding the area occupied by ridges, each greenhouse can hold 160,000 cuttings.

Rose Cutting Propagation Methods

1. Cutting selection. The quality of cuttings is the key to ensuring rooting and improving the survival rate of rose cuttings. First, select excellent variety mother plants that grow vigorously and are free of pests and diseases. Second, the branches must have a good nutritional foundation, so cuttings should be selected from thick, vigorous branches, requiring one-year-old branches with a diameter of 5-8 mm, preferably branches from the current year after the terminal flowers have opened. Old branches over one year old have a higher degree of lignification in the cortex, making rooting more difficult. Cut cuttings into lengths of about 8-12 cm with 3-5 buds. Cut the basal end at an angle about 2 cm below the node, and cut the top flat above the node bud. Seal the wounds with petroleum jelly or wax. Leave 2-3 pairs of leaves at the top of the cutting and trim some of the small leaves, while all basal leaves should be removed.

2. Root promotion treatment. Before cutting, dip the basal end of the cuttings in 50-100 ppm ABT rooting powder or indoleacetic acid for 3-5 minutes to stimulate cell division, promote callus formation, achieve fast rooting and abundant rooting, and improve the survival rate of cuttings.

3. Cutting. Try to cut, treat, and insert the cuttings as you go. When inserting, be careful not to damage the bark. Generally, first use a small wooden stick or your finger to make a small hole in the cutting bed, then place the cutting into the hole. The insertion depth should be 1/2 to 2/3 of the cutting length. After inserting, press the soil firmly with your hand and water thoroughly once so that the cutting and soil are closely combined. Remember not to insert the cutting upside down.

4. Post-Cutting Management

① Build an arched shed and cover with shade netting: The plastic shed can regulate soil and air temperature and humidity, and the shade netting can prevent direct sunlight and lower the temperature. The light transmittance of the shade netting should be 20% to 30%. In addition to covering the top of the seedbed with shade netting, hang curtains on the east and west sides of the seedbed to block light and reduce morning and evening sunlight exposure. The optimal temperature for rose rooting is 20°C to 25°C. If the temperature is too high, in addition to covering with shade netting, you can also water to cool down and ventilate to cool down.

② Watering: In the early stage of cutting, the cuttings have not yet sprouted leaves, so water supply should not be too much. Generally, watering once every 7 to 10 days is sufficient. After one month, the cuttings begin to root and send out shoots, and water consumption gradually increases, so water once every 3 to 5 days. The amount of watering should be determined by soil moisture and air humidity, keeping the soil moderately moist.

③ Fertilizing: Cuttings do not need much fertilizer. Since base fertilizer was applied during soil preparation, there is no need to apply additional soil fertilizer before the seedlings are transplanted, but foliar fertilization should be carried out. That is, one month after cutting, apply foliar fertilizer once every half month, alternating between 0.3% urea liquid fertilizer and 0.2% monopotassium phosphate liquid fertilizer, to promote rooting.

④ Weeding: Remove weeds in the cutting bed promptly, but do not disturb the seedlings.

⑤ Hardening off: After the seedlings have been rooting for half a year, appropriately extend their ventilation and light exposure time to improve the seedlings' ability to adapt to the external environment.

Precautions for Rose Cutting Propagation

1. The shoots selected for cuttings should not be too tender, nor should already lignified branches be used. It is suitable to choose thicker, more robust branches with a dark green color showing through.

2. Girdle a ring of bark about 0.2-0.3 cm wide at a point 1 cm below the bud eye. After one week, cut it off for cutting, and the survival rate will be the highest. To ensure 100% survival, the air layering propagation method can be used. That is, cover the notch with mud, and roots will definitely appear in about a month. The disadvantage is that air layering is only suitable for strong branches, and the quantity is small and the speed is slow. It is not as fast and simple as the cutting method, because the branches used for cuttings can even be the residual branches left after pruning roses, and dozens of seedlings can be propagated at one time.