This is the time when I begin to find out whether the cuttings in the greenhouse are going to root or not. They've been sitting on the bench under the mist line since October or November.
I check the cuttings once a week, culling the dead ones, moving the ones that have rooted, and rearranging the ones that don't yet show roots. I'm averaging about a 50% success rate right now ... not too bad, considering it's winter.
(Madame Plantier)
There are some varieties that I haven't been able root at all. Other varieties grow roots on every cutting I stick. Most are somewhere in the middle.
(Portland from Glendora)
I root my cuttings in 2 1/2" clear orchid pots. This allows me to see the roots as they form, instead of having to guess whether a cutting has rooted.
(Rose de Rescht)
I have read that roots need darkness in order to grow. This is obviously not true, because I have rooted thousands of cuttings in these pots.
(Cato's Cluster)
After I finished sorting the cuttings, I made an up-to-date inventory of all the roses that have rooted. This will help me get a head start on the photos and descriptions for the web site this spring.
(Cl. Pompon de Paris)
There are a lot of things that can go wrong with propagation ... and I am always amazed that one can take a green stick, convince it to grow roots and become a rose bush.
(written by Hartwood Roses. Hartwood Roses blog)
