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Growing rose cuttings in water


How to Propagate Rose Cuttings in Water

There are lots of ways to propagate roses, from grafting to saving seeds.

Propagating stem cuttings in water happens to be one of the easiest methods. If you’re out trimming your shrubs in the morning, it’s pretty much as simple as tossing some of those ends into a cup of water and keeping the liquid fresh until roots form.

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Of course, there’s a bit more to it than that, and there are some things you can do to increase your chances of success.

That’s what we’re going to go over in this guide. Here’s what we’ll discuss:

What You’ll Learn

Stem cuttings from some plants propagate extremely well in water (hello, monstera!), some not so well, and others, like French tarragon, won’t grow roots in water at all.

Roses fall firmly into the middle category. It’s not impossible to propagate them in liquid, but they won’t make it easy for you, either. As a general rule, start three cuttings and expect only one to take.

Starting rose cuttings in soil is a more reliable method, as it causes less shock for the plant when you transplant it. This method also encourages the development of hardier, sturdier roots. But starting in water is incredibly simple.

I think of it this way: if I need to be absolutely sure my cutting will take, I start it in soil. If I’m just casually trimming my roses and want to see if a few will take root, I’ll start them in water.

Be Aware of Laws and Ethics Governing Propagation

Before you jump into propagating your plants, there are some legal and ethical considerations to mull over.

Some rose varieties are patented, which means it’s illegal to reproduce them. Petite Knock Outs, for instance, are patented by the breeder Meilland International, and on occasion they have sued – and won judgments against – people who have violated their patents.

Most of the time, a patented rose will have a little “R” symbol (®) next to its name, or the tag will specifically state that it’s patented and shouldn’t be reproduced.

A trademark symbol (™) doesn’t denote that a patent is held, it simply means that the plant’s name has been trademarked.

While it’s unlikely that a patent holder will come searching out a home gardener who just wants one more specimen of their favorite plant, it’s still against the law.

Patents are valid for 20 years from the date that they’re issued and unless a new one is granted, it’s fair game at that point.

To determine whether a particular cultivar has been patented, you can head to HelpMeFind and search for the name of the rose.

Any patents will be displayed on the rose’s information page. They also provide a resource for gardeners who want to exchange cuttings, so you can find some exceptional options to further your collection.

But what about those smaller breeders who don’t have the knowledge, time, or even the funds to register a patent on a rose cultivar they create?

As a general rule, rose lovers agree not to propagate a particular variety for 20 years after its introduction by a smaller breeder – unless the breeder specifically states it’s okay to reproduce their invention and then it’s usually for home use only.

It’s not uncommon among small breeders to share their creations, so feel free to ask. Many of them will be delighted to know that you appreciate their efforts and will be happy to share the love.

Even some larger breeders give away plants and permit their cultivars to be propagated by fellow rose lovers for home use. Griffith Buck was famous for his generosity with his roses.

There’s no law against reproducing unpatented plants, so only you can decide whether or not you feel right about it.

Take Your Cuttings

Technically any stem you cut from a rose can be propagated in water, but you will have a much higher rate of success with young, pliable, green growth. Avoid the woody, older stems – these are best used for propagation via air layering.

Photo by Kristine Lofgren.

You can find young, pliable growth from spring through summer, but I generally take my cuttings in spring because the milder weather causes less drying out.

Once you’ve located some new growth, take a six-inch-long piece from the end of the branch using a sharp, sanitized pair of secateurs.

Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge fan of Felco pruners, and I carry them with me out into the garden every day. I prefer the F2 model for rose pruning.

Felco F2 Pruners

If you want to add a pair to your gardening kit, you can find them at Amazon.

It helps to make the cut at a 45 degree angle so the bottom of the stem doesn’t seal flat against the bottom of the container that you place the cutting in.

Photo by Kristine Lofgren.

Remove all but the top two leaflets. Place the cutting in a clear glass or jar of clean, room-temperature water. The bottom third of the stem should be submerged in water.

Place the jar out of direct sunlight, but somewhere warm where it will be exposed to bright, indirect light. The average home temperature is ideal, but if you keep the cutting outside, avoid temps below 50 and above 90°F.

Caring for Cuttings

It takes three or so weeks for roots to begin to form, and a few more weeks for them to become large enough to transplant into soil.

In the meantime, your job is to change the liquid every single day. Stagnant water is an invitation for fungal and bacterial issues that can put an end to your propagation adventures.

Photo by Kristine Lofgren.

Beyond that, just keep an eye on the cutting for any signs of fungal growth, like a brown or black substance on the glass.

If you see this, clean the container and refill it with fresh water or move the cutting to a new container with fresh liquid. While you’re cleaning, keep the stem in a cup of water so that it doesn’t dry out.

If you don’t see roots forming after about three weeks, wait a few more weeks before giving up. If the end of the cutting starts to turn black, this is a sign that it has died and should be discarded.

For those that survive and grow new roots, it’s time to move them to a potting medium.

Transplant into Soil

If you’ve ever successfully managed to start a cutting of any species in water, only to find that it fails once you move it into soil, it’s not your fault. You likely didn’t do anything wrong.

The roots that form when a cutting is rooted in water tend to be weaker than those started in soil.

To help ease the transition, you’ll need to move the cuttings from the water base to a light soilless potting medium for a few weeks before planting it in its permanent home.

Fill a six-inch pot with a soilless potting medium. I like Hydrofarm’s Light Warrior soilless mix, which is available at Amazon in one-cubic-foot bags.

Hydrofarm Light Warrior Soilless Potting Mix

Make a hole in the potting medium and gently place the rooted cutting into it, tamping down the medium around the stem. Keep the pot indoors in bright, indirect light.

Keep the medium evenly moist, but not soggy or wet. Feel free to place a tented plastic bag or a liter bottle with the top cut off over the cuttings to keep them moist.

This helps the cutting retain moisture so it doesn’t dry out.

After three weeks or so, as long as the cutting still looks healthy and has started to produce new growth, transfer the plant to its new home outdoors after a week of hardening off.

If your cutting hasn’t started growing, keep it indoors a bit longer.

Hardening off involves taking the young plant outside and putting it in a protected area for an hour on the first day.

The next day, place it outside for two hours before bringing it back in again. Add an hour each day for a week to gently acclimate it to the outdoors. At that point, you can plant your rose in the ground.

Rooted cuttings can go into the ground anytime of year so long as there are at least six weeks until the first projected frost. The cooler days of fall are usually better for transplanting than the hot days of summer, which can stress young plants.

If you took your cutting later in the year or it didn’t root in time for fall planting, keep the potted rose indoors throughout the winter in a sunny spot. Transplant it after hardening it off in the spring after all risk of frost has passed.

You Can Never Have Too Many Roses

Sometimes I see a rose that I adore and I just want more, more, more! Other times I want to save a rose that is growing old.

Photo by Kristine Lofgren.

Whatever your motivation for propagating these plants, rooting stem cuttings in water is a viable method. While it’s less reliable than propagating in soil, it has a time and a place.

There are days when I’m out pruning and I don’t want to toss the clippings that I’ve taken, but I don’t have the time to go through the whole planting process. So I toss them in a glass of water and let the magic happen.

What about you? What’s your motivation for propagating roses? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

Now that you have a new plant on the way, you might be interested in learning more about how to grow and care for roses. If so, here are a few options to check out:

Grow Roses from Cuttings: 2 Best Ways to Propagate!

How to grow roses from cuttings easily! Compare the BEST & worst ways to propagate in water or soil, using potatoes, & root by air layering.

Maybe it’s a beautiful rose plant in the garden that you want to multiply, or a Valentines rose bouquet that you want to grow into more roses, it’s easy to want more colorful and gorgeous rose bushes and vines in our homes and gardens.

Many plant lovers have tried to grow roses from cuttings. There are many rose propagation methods such as rooting in soil or water, air layering, and some even try to grow rose cuttings in potatoes! Some of these methods are great, some actually don’t work very well.

Today we are going to compare which ways are the best and easiest to propagate roses from either a plant, cut flowers or even a bouquet. Wouldn’t it be nice to have more roses in our gardens or as gifts to share with friends? 🙂

Can you propagate patented roses?

* Some resources in article are affiliate links. Full disclosure here .

A plant patent lasts for 20 years, after which the plant is allowed to be propagated.  

If the roses are patented within the last 20 years, it is illegal to propagate the rose without the consent of the patent holder. ( Source )

However, there are endless varieties of roses you CAN propagate. For example, the famous “New Dawn” and “Charlotte Armstrong” roses were patented over 50 years ago, and old-fashioned heirloom roses often root easier than modern hybrids.

Now you know which roses not to propagate, let’s look at the best and easiest methods to root rose cuttings! ( Source )

Best time to grow roses from cuttings 

The best time to grow roses from cuttings is from spring through summer, when flexible new stems (current year’s growth) are actively growing. They are called softwood cuttings, who are the fastest and easiest to root when you select healthy stems.

Look at all the beautiful rooted rose cuttings by Vuon & Nha on YouTube! Video tutorial below:

The next best are semi-hardwood cuttings, taken in late summer and early fall, when new stems have partially matured.

Hardwood cuttings are most difficult type of cutting to root. They are taken in late fall or early winter, when the rose stems have matured and entered dormancy.

Grow roses from cuttings by air layering 

Air layering is a fascinating propagation method being used for thousands of years! Nowadays there are easy products like these reusable air layering pods you can get, or make your own with simple materials such as small water bottles or plastic bags.

Air layering is the BEST way to propagate roses (and many woody plants) if the rose bush or vine that you want to multiply is already growing in your garden or in a friend’s garden. You don’t even have to use rooting powder with this method.

The best time for air layering roses is in late spring or summer when the weather is warm and the rose bushes are actively growing. ( Air layering rose video tutorial below. )

Select a stem that is about the thickness of a pencil and longer than a foot. Take a clean sharp knife, find a spot at about 1 foot for the top tip of the stem, remove leaves and  thorns around this area, peel off about a 1 inch section of the green bark tissue to get to white wood.  

You can also make a 2” long cut along the middle of the stem, and insert a little piece of plastic straw to prop the cut open, like shown in the above video tutorial by Vuon & Nha.

Don’t cut too deeply into the stem or it could break. 

Dust the cut area with rooting hormone. You can skip this, but rooting hormone does help speeding up the process. 

Next, make a 3” to 4” size pouch using either plastic wrap or a small plastic bottle filled with moist peat moss, coir, or potting soil. Coco coir is a great medium to root rose cuttings. It is sustainable and clean, which is important for propagation.

The cut area should be completely covered with enough room for roots to develop. Video tutorial below by Vuon & Nha.

Secure top and bottom with strings or twist-tie (Not too tight so the plant can grow and expand).   You can also use these reusable air layering pods. 

Because the stem is still attached to the mother plant, it is receiving water and nutrients as the new roots are growing from the cut area. This greatly increases the propagation success rate to nearly 100%!

Most rose plants show their white roots in 3 – 5 weeks. When you see good root system develops with lots of healthy roots, clip the stem off below the layer.

Gently remove ties and covers. Carefully plant your new rose plants and keep them well watered and protected from direct sunlight for a couple of weeks so it can adapt.

Grow roses from cuttings in soil or medium 

Fill some clean pots or containers rooting mix and water well so it’s moist and fully hydrated. You can use clean potting soil or a soil-less mix such as clean sand, peat moss, perlite, or Coco coir.  ( Photo by Hedgerow Rose)

IMPORTANT: The containers should have drainage holes  and never sit in water for too long. ( Photo by Grownups )

Coco coir is a great medium to root rose cuttings. It is sustainable and clean, which is important for propagation.

Take rose cuttings only from healthy plants that are well watered. Choose fresh healthy rose stems newly grown from the woody base, with at least 3-5 leaf nodes on the stem. Cut near the base at a 45-degree angle. Put cut stems in water immediately.

Video tutorial by Vuon & Nha on YouTube. How to propagate rose cuttings in coco coir!

Cut longer stem into 6 inch to 8 inch long, and make sure each cutting have at least 3 nodes – where leaf meets stem. Remove all flower buds and leaves except for one set of leaves at the top of each cutting.  

Dip the cutting’s bottom half in the rooting hormone powder or gel. Use a pencil to make a planting hole 3 to 4 inches deep in your rooting mix. Plant the rose cutting into the hole so at least two nodes are covered. 

 Keep the cuttings in a warm and bright place away from direct sun. Water when the rooting mix start to feel dry on the top inch.  Pamela at Flower Patch farm used recycled coffee cups (above) and large jars (below ) as humidity tent. Such great ideas!

You can also use a propped- up plastic bag or a mini greenhouse. Here are 45 best DIY greenhouses you can make from tiny to big!

If you live in a warm humid climate with a shaded outdoor area, you can skip the humidity cover. ( Photo below by Hartwood Roses )

Most softwood rose cuttings will root within 2 to 6 weeks. If you see healthy leaves growing, and feel some resistance when you very gently tug on the cuttings (don’t do this too soon!) , it’s likely they have rooted.

Here’s a YouTube tutorial by Mike on how to use a humidity cover made from plastic bottles.

Now you can remove the humidity tent and let them grow for a couple more weeks before transplanting the cuttings. Below is another propagation example by Lilisim.

Can you root rose cuttings in water?

Rose cuttings do not propagate well in just water.  Some cuttings will root, but the success rate is usually about 20%, while you can get 80% success by propagating rose cuttings in soil medium or by layering. 

The rose cuttings tend to take a long time to root in water, and is prone to rotting.

However, some favorite plants can root very easily in water! Here are a couple of tutorials on how to propagate Fiddle Leaf Fig or Hydrangea cuttings in soil or water with almost 100% success!

Hydrangeas are some of the easiest flowers to propagate! Tutorial here!

Can you grow rose cuttings using potatoes? 

There are many viral images of rose cuttings in potatoes, but I have not seen any scientific or real life evidence of potatoes or dipping in honey making rose cuttings grow more quickly or successfully.  

On the contrary, there are many reports of failures from gardeners who actually tried to grow rose cuttings in potatoes. 

The potatoes may grow roots, which will not magically become rose roots. The rose cuttings need a medium that holds moisture and air, which isn’t really what a potato does. 

That’s it! Use the first 2 methods, and happy gardening! 🙂

Propagation of roses by cuttings

You received a chic bouquet of roses as a gift, and you got the idea to grow such beautiful roses in your own garden! But where to buy such a bush? An elementary way to get a bush of the required variety is cuttings.

Cuttings is one of the most efficient methods of propagating these beautiful flowers. With this method, you will be able to find a bush of a variety whose flowers you like. Cuttings can be rooted at home all year round with knowledge of individual nuances.

General information about rose cuttings:

If you have decided to root your favorite rose from the bouquet, the preparation must be activated from the time you have it.

It is necessary to cut off the edge of the stem with a sharp object at a slight angle in the water. It is necessary to refresh the cut daily, and replace the water. It is necessary to lower the flowers into the water by more than ½ of the stem. Before cutting the cuttings, it is necessary to cut the bud, put the stems in water for a day.

Cuttings must be cut from the middle of the stem. Thickness - approximately equal to the thickness of a pencil, length 15-25 cm. The leaves must be removed from the cuttings, leaving only the top pair. The cuttings also need to be cleaned of thorns. Each cutting should have at least 2-3 buds. The bottom cut must be oblique. The cut from above must be straight, and located immediately above the kidney - no more than 1 cm, it must be sprinkled with a crushed activated charcoal tablet. In the lower part of the handle, you need to make an incision crosswise with a knife, plunging by about 8 mm.

Rooting rose cuttings in water

It is good to propagate ground cover roses in a similar way. Prepared as mentioned above, the stalk is placed in a jar of water with a level of 2. 5 cm. Kornevin or Hereroauxin must be added there. Cover with a plastic bag and put in a bright place, but without open sun. Do not change the water, just add settled water so that the level is constantly 2.5 cm. After 2-3 weeks, a callus will form from below, and then the cutting needs to be planted, in this case it is not necessary to close the jar.

Rooting roses in potatoes

Prepared cuttings should be planted in impressive tubers about 2/3 of the height of the cutting. All eyes on the tuber must be removed so that it does not germinate. Next, the tubers must be dug to a depth of about 5-6 cm. You don't need to bankroll. Over the summer, the rose will release roots in the potato, the potato itself usually decomposes. You don't need to dig them out until next year.

Preparing the soil and planting cuttings

Regardless of where you plan to plant cuttings for rooting, the soil must be prepared - dig, add humus, remove the root system of weeds, water the ground, sprinkle with a layer of washed sand and ash. You can buy ready-made soil for roses. Cuttings should be buried in the ground at a slight angle so that only one kidney is above the ground. Above each cutting, you need to build a greenhouse - you can use unpainted plastic bottles. Watering can be done through the hole in the lid. In open ground, be sure to darken from the midday sun. The timing of the emergence of the root system depends on the temperature of the soil. If the temperature is not lower than + 18ºС, then in a month full-fledged roots will appear on the handle, and a shoot will begin to sprout from the kidney. No need to rush to remove the bottles. The growth of the shoot does not mean that the root is well developed. The plant does not have enough strength to absorb moisture. The greenhouse will prevent it from evaporating. It should also be left for the winter and removed only next spring, but not abruptly, but gradually hardening the rose bush.

In the first year of life, the rose bush does not need to be allowed to bloom, it is necessary to cut off all the buds that form - in this case, the rose bush will grow quickly, strengthen and in a year will delight you with colorful flowering.

Rose cuttings, rooting methods

It is impossible to grow the queen of flowers in the country with one bush, you want to admire this beauty constantly and for as long as possible. There are a huge number of varieties of roses, you should definitely try to propagate the species you like. Most often, the simplest known method is used - cuttings. Roses growing in open ground are cut from the end of June to the end of July. Unfortunately, yellow varieties of roses and wrinkled park roses do not lend themselves to this method of reproduction. Varieties with a small leaf are easy to experiment: polyanthus, ground cover, climbing and miniature.

Which rose cuttings are suitable for cuttings and what to consider:

- cuttings are cut from annual semi-lignified shoots, lateral or lower branches are most suitable;

- fattening, completely lignified shoots or tops are not suitable;

- if there are no leaves on the cuttings, then sunlight is not needed;

- if the cutting has leaves, then without daylight there will be no roots;

- the older the stem from which the cutting was cut, the more difficult it will be rooting;

- many cuttings in one pot cannot be rooted, there will be no shoots;

- do not use a transparent container for rooting in water.

Rooting of cuttings is carried out in different ways.

Rooting in the ground

Cuttings are cut 8-15 cm long so that the upper cut is about 1 cm from the bud, the cut is straight. The lower cut is made obliquely under the kidney at a distance of 3-7 mm. For cutting, use only a sharp knife so as not to damage the tissue and bark. The lower leaves and all thorns are removed, the upper leaves are cut to 1/3 of the length. Prepared cuttings are soaked for a day in a solution of "Heteroauxin".

A layer of drainage from small broken bricks or expanded clay is poured into a box or pot, a substrate is poured from equal parts of sod and leaf soil and half a part of sand or purchased soil for roses. Lay a layer of sand 3-7 cm on the substrate. Make holes 2 cm deep and obliquely insert the cutting with the lower cut. The cutting should not sink below the sand. The distance between the holes is 3-5 cm, between the rows is 10 cm. After planting, water and cover with a film, jar or cut plastic bottle.

Active rooting of rose cuttings occurs in a bright place at a temperature of 22-25°C. Within 14 days, it is necessary to spray daily so that droplets of water remain on the leaves. After spraying, do not immediately cover the cuttings, allow time to ventilate. 1 month after planting, roots begin to form. The appearance of new shoots from the kidneys indicates successful rooting. From this point on, the number of waterings should be reduced and left open more often. It is possible to transplant into the ground for growing not earlier than spring, since such rooted, but unstable cuttings will not survive the winter. Wintering is left in the basement or a place where the temperature is in the range of 3-5 ° C. If buds are tied on cuttings before transplanting into open ground, then pinch so that the plant continues to form the root system, and not waste energy on flowering.

Rooting roses in potatoes is a popular method among flower growers!

Cut rose cuttings 20-25 cm long so that the cuts are above and below the buds. Also cleaned of leaves and thorns.

Dig a trench 15 cm deep, pour sand into the bottom with a layer of 5 cm. Insert the stalk with a straight cut into the potato, in which all the eyes are first removed and placed in the trench. From above, they are covered with earth to 2/3 of the height of the cutting and covered with cut plastic bottles or glass jars. The distance between the cuttings is kept 15-20 cm. Water regularly, once a week you can indulge in sweet water (2 tsp of sugar per 1 tbsp of water).

What is happening at this time? Rose cuttings extract all the nutrients from the potato, while being in a constant moist environment.

Hardening can be started 2 weeks after planting. For the winter, they cover with lutrasil, sawdust, peat or moss. Transplanted to a permanent place in the spring.

If there is no opportunity to plant in a school, then the cutting inserted into the potato can be planted in a pot with soil mixture, then covered with a glass jar for 2 weeks.

Rooting rose cuttings in water

Pour chilled distilled or boiled water into a jar, dip the cut cuttings and place in partial shade so that direct sunlight does not fall on them. Top up or change the water every 2 days so that it is constantly fresh. Transplanted into the ground when the roots appear after about 1 month. After landing, cover with jars until the leaves appear.

The survival rate of the cuttings is not high, because there is no oxygen in the water and this can cause decay. The more water in the tank, the less oxygen.

Rooting rose cuttings in moss

Buy moss from a specialist shop. Prepare the cuttings before planting as described above. Place the moss in a bag, insert rose cuttings into it, fill the bag with oxygen (inflate it), tie it up and hang it up. Roots form in 3-4 weeks. At this time, condensation will accumulate in the bag, which can moisten the moss and the cuttings themselves.

If the rose cuttings are to be stored until the spring of the next summer season, choose a place in the garden where the largest amount of snow accumulates in winter. Dig the cuttings completely into the ground, so they remain alive and at the same time do not take root. Mulch plantings with peat, spruce branches or dry leaves. Dig up and plant in the spring.

Rooting cuttings of roses from a bouquet

When a beautiful bouquet of roses is presented, thoughts often arise about how to get such a bush in your garden. Rooting cuttings of roses from a bouquet is very difficult, so you need to stock up on planting material more. To do this, the flowers are immersed at night in a bucket of clean water to the heads, and the water is changed for the day. When the roses begin to shed their leaves, you can start cuttings.

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