Propagating Roses using Gallon Sized Plastic Bags and Artificial Light
I’d like to share with everyone a propagation method that works really well. I came upon this method in the October 2003 issue of the American Rose Magazine (Marilyn Wellan, our new President, is on the cover, holding yellow and red roses). The article is written by Mel Hulse, Volunteer Maintenance Director of the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden.
I follow the instructions in this article fairly closely, but the thing I do differently which I think makes all the difference is I put the plastic bags under artificial light (shop lights), not the bright indirect natural light the above author recommends as do so many other articles on propagation. I have had miserable “success” using any form of bright indirect natural light, but my success increased exponentially using the shop lights. My guess is I get at least 80% success!
Here I’ve written how I do this, but I do recommend you look up the article because there are some great photos that accompany it. Please don’t feel intimidated by all the words that follow here – when you get to actually doing it you’ll see it’s easy and fun, and I have to tell you, there is something so exiting about seeing those roots forming along the sides of the plastic bags you feel like a kid in a candy shop!
Start with the clear “gallon” plastic zip lock bags. Fill them about 1/3 full, maybe just a bit more, with potting soil, moistened well but not so well water will run out if you turn the bag upside down. I use the Waterloo brand they sell. No timed release fertilizer type, just the regular bland stuff. The light, fluffy kind, with a lot of peat moss and perlite in it. Pro-Mix in the bales would be the type, no built in fertilizer.
I put two cuttings per bag, even three if they’re small. I try to get a “heel” on the cutting. A heel is where the smaller stem joins into a bigger stem it’s attached to. Some propagation books will have photos of it. The article mentioned above has a good photo of this stem to stem juncture. I just trim around to keep a very small, thin piece of the main stem or “heel” attached to the base of the cutting. It’s proven this juncture area has a lot of rooting hormones in it, and it’s definitely true because I’ve seen those particular cuttings root fastest here in my basement.
But if you can’t get a heel, don’t worry. Just make a cutting with approximately two nodes underneath the soil (the bottom cut should be just below the last node, no excess stem left behind, doesn’t matter about angle), and two leaf sets above, trim the leaves if they’re huge or can’t fit.
Also, the best cuttings I’ve done are with roses which have just finished their current cycle of bloom. I wait until the petals have fallen off. For some reason having to do with hormones, this is when they are the most ready to root. The only roses I’ve had trouble rooting are certain old roses and some rugosas, mainly stems with a lot of thorns. I’ve rooted roses after the first June flush, in the middle of summer, and in the fall, too, in each case just after the petals have fallen.
Sometimes you can only get sort of twiggy cuttings where there are four or more tiny nodes very close together in the section you want to put in the soil. Don’t worry, put them all under the soil. With my fingernail, I gently scrape off any tiny forming buds I see because this is where the new roots will form. I don’t use a knife to make scrapes at the bottom of the cuttings, as you see advised in some articles – I just haven’t seen lots of roots forming from these areas, and suspect it can even cause a cutting not to take.
If you think there might be spider mites on the cuttings, rinse them off really well under gentle hose or a tap…I even gently rub off the undersides of the leaves with my fingers as I hold the cutting upside down under the faucet. If there’s blackspot on the leaves, you might see it get bad and the leaves drop off in the bags. Try for blackspot free cuttings. The author of the above article recommends a spray mixture of 1/8 tsp. Baking Soda with 1/8 tsp. Miracle Gro for Roses in a 16 oz spray bottle which you can use at the time you put the cuttings in the bag and during the rooting process. I skip this step, but don’t think it can hurt.
I use the regular rooting hormone stuff, the powdered kind. The kind I use is called RooTone by Rockland. I dip the cutting in, tap the excess off, and just stick it into the moistened soil, I don’t even bother with a pencil hole first, etc.
Then I seal the bag. I then re-open a tiny section in the middle and blow the bag up and quickly re-seal it. I also write with an indelible marker the name of the rose and the date I put it in there. I use two plastic straws, the kind that bend at the top, inside the bag at either end, to sort of keep the bags propped up, as I’ve found even when I blow up the bags with air, eventually it comes out and the top of the bag crumples down, sometimes onto the cuttings. You can keep blowing the air in from time to time, I think the roses like it.
Then, this is the part I consider crucial…I put the bags under shop lights in my basement. I have the shop lights on a timer, 16 hours. The bags are put really close to the lights, the tops of the bags are only an inch or two away from the bulbs, and the leaves if you measured would probably be 4 to 6 inches away from the lights. It is cool light, it’s perfect, really. The cuttings appreciate the cool temperatures of the basement, too. This is where my method differs from other write-ups about this, they all seem to say put the bags in indirect natural light – forget this, many will fail, in my opinion. Definitely use the shop lights – I use the full spectrum bulbs. Will they root with just plain flourescent bulbs? Probably!
In my basement, I have a three-tiered lighting system I bought from a catalog, it is excellent. I wanted even more lights and did it inexpensively by getting two saw-horses from my neighbor, and an old counter top from them too, making a table out of that and just dropped the shop lights from the ceiling with lightweight chains. Either way, the roses don’t care, they just like the cool light, plain and simple. I have all this in the room where the furnace and central air conditioning units are. The air conditioner runs a lot in summer and it sure is cool down there! My opinion is, the cuttings and new roots love this.
I’ve heard of people using bricks or cinder blocks, and just having the lights propped up on those at floor level.
I usually see the roots forming about two to three weeks from putting the cuttings in the bags, sometimes longer, but most are really raring to get out of the bags in one month. I open the bags a little one day, then more the next day, and finally prop them open with the plastic straws for several days, all in an effort to harden them off before planting them in pots.
When the roses have lots of roots that are getting long and look like they really need more space, and I’ve had them “hardening off” in the bags for a week or so, I then take the cuttings up to the garage where I pot them up in medium sized plastic containers. I’m not good on sizing containers, but use the ones you would find a medium sized perennial for sale in at a nursery. I use scissors to cut the bags open along the side edges, fold away the two sides, and then carefully lift out the cuttings by putting my hand under the soil and roots and gently pulling them out and away from each other with as much of a root ball as I can. I already have the plastic containers filled 1/2 to 2/3 full with moistened potting soil. I put the root ball cutting in, fill the rest of the pot with moistened soil, and water in. Again, use fluffy regular potting soil, with no fertilizers at all in it.
I’ve used the vitamin B root stimulator stuff, but I’ve also had just fine results not using it. Go ahead and try it if you want, I don’t think it hurts, but go by the directions and don’t use too much. I wouldn’t water in with any kind of fertilizer, though.
I use the plastic straws as markers, using the indelible pens to write the name of the rose and just sticking it in the pot.
I keep the cuttings in my garage, where they are in the shade during the day, but they are only a few feet away from the driveway where there is blazing sun. So, perhaps that would be considered “bright indirect” light. I take them out of the garage in the late afternoon, say 5:00, and put them into the direct light. They get that gentle sun until evening…they stay out there until morning when they get another several hours of direct, gentle light. Then about 10:00 that morning I put them back in the garage. I do this cycle for about a week, then move them into more sun in the morning, back to the shade in the hottest part of day, back into late afternoon sun maybe at 4:00 instead of 5:00, etc.
After about two to three weeks of this, I have been giving them more and more sun, until they are in sun most or all of the day. I’ve gotten into the habit of using empty plastic pots in front of the pots with the roses in them to absorb some of the heat of the sun, because I think the roots can fry in those black plastic pots in the hottest sun.
If you can’t be at home during the day to do this routine, perhaps put them under the shade of a tree would be good, but protect against rabbits, as I mention later in this article.
After about a week or so when they’ve been in the pots, I start to use fish emulsion or mild Miracle Gro from time to time, very light doses, like a teaspoon in a gallon and split between 10 cuttings in pots. You can do this if you’ve planted them in the ground too, but remember, light doses!
After a couple of more weeks, they can go in the ground, or wait until late summer or fall to plant. My opinion after doing this a couple of years is, if you can plant it about four or five weeks or so after you’ve had it in the pot, this is better. The roses can become root bound. I’ve had some problems over wintering them if they just stay out in the pots. You can bury the pots in the garden just for wintering over before planting in the spring. This seems to work out fine but the last winters have been pretty mild.
One last piece of advice…I have rabbits here. I don’t know who doesn’t have rabbits. For some reason, they love these little cuttings and will decimate them with no mercy, each and every one of them. It’s like they have radar and find them out – this is no fun after all that time, love and care you’ve put in. I go out and buy some of that soft green chicken wire, it comes in circular bundles about 2′ in height – I cut long pieces and form rings around each and every cutting and use bamboo stakes or sticks to wedge them into the ground. Please don’t forget to do this as I’ve had the heartbreak of seeing happy little cuttings just chewed to bits.
Follow all of this advice and you will be a successful and happy rose propagator!
Happy Propagation!!!
Pam Coath
Hidden Rose Supports by Tom Mayhew, Consulting Rosarian
An unobtrusive or hidden rose support is sometimes desired when growing climbing roses, shrub roses or Old Garden Roses in the front yard, along a driveway or walkway, or in other areas where you do not want to draw attention to the rose support structure itself.
An inexpensive rose support, which will be hidden by the roses that climb it, can be built using one-half inch thick steel rods (rebar) that are spray painted green and are erected in the garden to form a tepee-shaped structure. The tepee can be constructed in the form of a tripod using three rods or a “quadpod” using four rods. The steel rods are either eight or ten feet in length, depending on the height desired. The rods are inserted about one and a half feet into the ground, at an angle, and are clamped together at the top with a steel clamp. The clamp, which can be screwed tight, is the type used on automobile hoses, and it is also spray painted green. The finished rose support is approximately 6 to 8-1/2 feet tall depending upon the length of the steel rods and how far they are inserted into the ground. A single large climbing rose or other rose needing support can be planted in the middle of the tepee. Alternatively up to three or four smaller roses needing support can be planted between the rods at the base of the tepee, depending upon whether its a tripod or a “quadpod”. Clematis can be added to share the rose support, to provide additional color and to help conceal the rose support structure so that it disappears under the plant growth.
The materials required include the steel rods, which can be purchased as reinforcing steel rods (rebar), the clamps and the spray paint for outdoor use. Rust-Oleum, Hunter Green, outdoor satin finish spray paint provides a nice color for the structure. These materials are available at a home project center like The Home Depot or Hechingers. In addition, something is needed to remove the rust from the steel rods before painting.
The steel rods, as purchased, normally have some rust on them and you need to be careful how you handle them so that you do not get the rust on your clothing or your car’s upholstery. Gloves and cardboard can help provide protection when transporting the steel rods. The rust can be removed using a product like Ex-Rust or something similar. Ex-Rust is a chemical rust remover which can be ordered from KANO Laboratories Inc., 1000 S. Thompson Lane, Nashville, TN 37211, Telephone (615)-833-4101. They also have a plastic bottle and sprayer which is convenient to use for spraying the Ex-Rust on the steel rods.
The whole process of cleaning the steel rods of rust and spray painting them green takes a few days. It is convenient to prepare 9 to 12 rods at a time, which is enough for 3 or 4 rose supports. The process can be done by placing several layers of newspaper on the ground at a place in the back yard where you don’t mind losing some grass for a while. The newspapers are used to absorb the excess Ex-Rust and spray paint. Place some logs or other support on the thick layers of newspapers and then lay the rods next to each other on the logs. Spray the steel rods with the Ex-Rust and a few hours later rotate the rods and spray them again. Do this several times until you are satisfied that the rust has been removed. Wash the rods with water and when the rods are dry, spray paint them green. Let the paint dry and then rotate the rods and spray paint again. You will need to rotate the rods and spray paint several times until you are satisfied that they are completely painted. You can also paint the clamps while you are painting the rods.
The construction of the tepee can be accomplished by using a shorter steel rod or spike, about 3 feet long, used to make the hole for the finished painted steel rod. With the aid of a short handled sledgehammer, drive the short steel rod temporarily, and at an angle, about one and a half feet into the ground at the place where you want the rose support to be. Three long bamboo sticks can be temporarily inserted into the ground to form a tripod as an aid in establishing the angle of the hole. Pull the short steel rod out and replace it with one of the painted rods. Do the same thing for the other painted rods. The rods are then tied together at the top with a clamp and tightened with a screwdriver. A final touch-up is then done by giving the clamp a final spray with the green paint. The rose support is then ready and the holes can be dug for the roses. If, at a later date it is desired to move the rose support, it can be taken down with little disturbance to the area. The total cost of the rose support should be less than $25, especially if the materials are amortized over several rose supports.
copyright Tom Mayhew, Consulting Rosarian
The basics for growing good roses
Choose a good planting site: The site you choose should receive at least 5 hours of sun each day. The roses should not be planted near trees or shrubs with vigorous root systems, as they would compete for food with the roses.
Planting: Dig a hole 18 inches across and 12-18 inches deep, so the roots will establish themselves easier. Refill with amended soil. The soil can be amended with compost, peat moss, leaves, composted manure, or other organic material. Do not add any fertilizer with nitrogen to the hole when planting a bare root rose, this will burn the newly forming roots! Bone meal or triple super phosphate can be place at the bottom of the hole with a thin layer of soil on top to help establish the roots. Water the new bush in, and give it a good soaking. Mound the soil up around the newly planted rose to keep in the moisture until the roots establish, then gradually wash it away during the growing season. Water several times a week after planting, to help establish the roots. Do this for a few weeks.
Fertilize: Roses will grow without being fertilized, but they will do much better if they are fertilized. Do not fertilize a newly planted bare root rose until after it blooms the first time. Normally this will be about 6 weeks. If done before that, you run the risk of burning the new roots that are establishing, and the plant could die.
Water, water, water: The most important thing roses need is water. Although they need good drainage, roses love water. They do not like to sit in soggy soil, if the soil does not drain well, the roots will rot. The more water they receive the better bloom they will produce. Not enough water will stress the plant. They like to be deep watered, not just sprinkled. Light watering will bring the feeder roots to the surface, not good in the heat or cold, where they could be more easily damaged.
Diseases Prevention: Blackspot is the worst problem in this area. It can be prevented by a regular spray program with a fungicide. The key is regular, once during the season will not do the trick. If you don’t want to spray, look for disease resistant varieties. The Rugosa roses and many of the new shrub or landscape roses (The Knockout series, Meidiland series, Flower Carpets, Romanticas, etc.) are very good.
Pruning: Roses should be pruned in the spring. They should be cut back to clean healthy pith (the center of the cane), this is usually white, but some varieties may be slightly darker. Do not cut them to the ground unless the cane is completely dead, this will rob them food supplies stored in the canes over the winter. Prune them 8 inches or higher. Higher pruning will give you more, but smaller flowers. If you don’t want to prune at all, just cut out any dead, diseased, or damaged canes, these should always be removed. Any small (less than pencil thickness) growth should also be removed. It is also helpful to open the center of the bush, to allow for air circulation, which helps with disease prevention. During the growing season removing spent blooms (deadheading) will help the rose rebloom sooner.
Planting Roses
The best time for planting is early spring when the soil is workable and temperature mild. Late autumn is also a good time.
Roses require at least 4-5 hours of sunlight a day to produce all the sugar and protein they need. Six hours is ideal.
Location should be well drained, roses don’t like wet feet. A deeply dug, well prepared will usually provide this.
Bare root roses should not dry out. Soak them for several hours when they arrive. This will properly hydrate them.
Preparing planting holes in the fall will make spring planting easier.
Dig the hole 18 inches in diameter and 20 inches deep. Soil can be amended with organics, aged compost, gypsum and, or sand for clay soils, or topsoil or clay for sandy soils.
Trim any broken or overly long roots before planting. Do not stuff long roots in the hole by spiraling them around the hole. Roots 8-10 inches long are sufficient.
Put no nitrogen fertilizer in the planting hole. Bone meal or superphosphate will promote root growth.
Bud union location depends on climate. In this area it is usually at or near soil level.
Do not stomp on the soil after planting; let the water settle the soil.
Mound the excess soil around the newly planted bush to prevent it from drying until the roots are established. A height of six inches should be sufficient. This can be removed gradually as the rose becomes established.
Mulching will help the soil retain moisture and keep the soil cooler. The temperature may be 10-15 degrees cooler than without the mulch. It should be 2-4 inches thick.
Below are some tips for newer exhibitors planning to enter the Rose Show
Why exhibit? It’s fun, you meet interesting people, you get to share your roses with other people, you can support your local society, and some enjoy the competition.
Growing good roses is the most important part of exhibiting, but they have to be cut and brought to the show.
Membership is not a requirement to exhibit, but roses must be grown outdoors by the exhibitor and correctly named.
If possible obtain a show schedule before the show and read it. It will give you an idea what classes you can exhibit your roses in, and what is and is not allowed for that particular show.
Cut your roses the morning of the show or night before. If a basement or dark air-conditioned room is available you can cut a day or two earlier. If bad weather is forecast before the show, a refrigerator can keep them even longer.
Cut adequate length stems and do not strip the leaves. Cut minis around 6” and large roses 12-20” depending on the size of the bloom or spray. Old Garden Roses may not have stems that long, cut what you can. If you have a beautiful bloom with a very short stem, there are classes for a rose in a bowl or picture frame in most shows.
Roses can be transported in 5 gallon buckets, large cups, milk cartons, vases, or coolers. Damaging the blooms and foliage should be avoided. Use the method that works best for you.
Get to the show early! The time to accept entries will be in the show schedule or newsletter. Usually this starts between 6:00 – 7:30 am, and closes between 10:00 –11:00 am.
Some shows have mandatory exhibitor numbers, others don’t. Check the schedule or ask when you arrive. The numbers are used for record keeping and tabulations. If required be sure to put them on the entry tag.
Check the show schedule or ask what wedging material is allowed. Some shows specify clear plastic, leaves, oasis or sahara. Some do not specify.
If you are not sure of a variety, how it’s classified, or how to display it, ask questions. We all started as beginners, and that’s how we learned. The best time for questions is early during entries, and not the last hour or so when people start rushing and the pressure is on to finish entering their roses.
Classifications, color classes, and date of introduction if needed, are listed in the ARS Handbook For Selecting Roses, ARS Approved Exhibition Names, Combined Rose List, Modern Roses, and the newest registrations in the American Rose.
Only one entry of a variety is allowed in a class. If you have others, they may be exhibited in collections or challenge classes.
You can take away from specimens, but cannot add to them. Petals and leaves may be trimmed to remove damage, tears, holes, or discoloration. Leaves may be polished with a dry or wet cloth to bring out the sheen in the leaves. No foreign substances can be applied to the specimen such as oil, extra petals, or cotton balls to open the bloom.
A bud is not a bloom.
One exhibition bloom classes (hybrid tea, grandiflora, floribunda, miniature and mini-flora) must have side buds removed. An exhibition bloom is generally one-half to two-thirds open, symmetrically arranged in a circular outline, and tends to have a high center.
A single bloom has 5-12 petals and is fully open at exhibition stage.
Spray classes (two or more blooms) for the above classes do not have to be disbudded.
Climbers, depending on the show schedule, can be show as one bloom or a spray.
Shrub and Old Garden Roses can be exhibited as single blooms or sprays, and do not have to be disbudded.
Some shows have fragrance classes. They are usually the public’s favorite.
Collections and Challenge classes may require a single container or separate containers depending on the schedule. The container may be supplied be the show or may have to be supplied by the exhibitor.
70% of the judging score is for the bloom. Form-25 points, Color-20 points, Substance-15 points, and size-10 points. Stem and Foliage is 20 points and Balance and Proportion is 10 points.
Balance and proportion is the relationship between bloom size and stem and foliage. Most people can judge what looks pleasing to them. This is where wedging the stem up or cutting it down comes into play. The tallest rose is not always the winner. A very large hybrid tea with a 20” stem may look beautiful, but a bloom ½ or 2/3 it’s size would look ridiculous on the same height stem.
A small tool box or tackle box is useful for carrying grooming supplies for the show. It may include pens, pencils, address labels, ARS Handbook For Selecting Roses, CRL, AEN, small trimming scissors, deckle edge scissors, pruners, tweezers, leaf polishing cloths (hankies, nylons, mitts), rubber bands, wedging materials (plastic wrap, oasis, sahara, knife for cutting them), Q-tips and cotton balls. A list of all your roses may be helpful if you forget a variety.
After your entries are in watch some of the more experienced exhibitors work and try to pick up some tips. Volunteering to clerk will help the show committee and give you a chance to see what the judges are looking for. After judging is done and the show opens ask a judge or fellow exhibitor questions if you don’t understand why your rose was judged the way it was.
The important thing is bring your roses to the show and share them with others. Roses are a labor of love and should be shared with as many people as possible.