Easy Roses~

You can have beautiful roses for next to nothing by growing your own bushes from cuttings. 

here is how you do it~

Scope out established rose bushes.. your neighbors yard, old houses and even better are older cemeteries where a long forgotten rose bush from another era could be hiding out, and find the rose you want to propagate ~

Make sure when you take your cuttings you have a jar of water in which to place them to keep them from wilting, once wilted your cutting will not root.

 For repeat flowering bushes you can take the cuttings from a young, firm stem that has a few leaves on it..the blooms can be fading. It's important to try to get a few leaves left on the stem as this will promote rooting. I started with about an 8 inch stem then cut it down to fit in my *greenhouses* leaving about 6- inches..I eyeballed it..

  here are the materials you need..

I selected 2 different roses, one is a pretty pink and the other is a bright orange with a yellow center.

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Here I have my biodegradable pots,

growth hormone, 

and my self made individual green houses which are the two 2 liter bottle tops. 

Not showing this pic is a sharp rose clipper.. you need to have a sharp cutter so you don't crush the stems when you clip..and  potting soil. I used Miracle grow potting soil.

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 Place dirt in your little pots and move on to the next step

Next take your stem and *wound* it. Roses can form roots at any point on the stem but most people usually choose to wound theirs at the base of the cutting. I cut in at a diagonal about a half an inch then I slice vertically into the bark or skin removing it with your clipper blade.

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You can see the wounded part of the stem has been dipped in water then into the powdered rooting hormone. 

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Now place your stem in your little pot of dirt. Using the Bottle tops of 2 liter bottle place them over the cutting to form a very easy and handy *greenhouse*. You want high humidity for your roses. 

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See how quickly the humidity formed?

Keep in mind that you want to maintain humidity and moisture for your rooting to be successful.
Your rooting will love light but in the heat of the mid day sun place your little baby in the shade so the greenhouse effect doesn't cook them.~

little greenhouse rose nursery. cute!

More info
Most cuttings are rooted best in early spring and summer when the temperatures are still friendly..

You can expect your stem to root anywhere from 2 - 8 weeks depending on the variety and mood of the stem.

In order to tell if your cutting has rooted it may have new leaves growing on it.. or you can also give it a slight tug and if you have resistance it probably has roots.

Once your cuttings have established strong roots , remove them from their rooting area, also removing the greenhouse, and place them in a cool shady spot for a few days to acclimate it. Placing it immediately in the direct sun could kill your new plant so Please allow it to harden off before planting. You can then place your baby in the ground or a container, keeping a close eye on it until it's settled in and comfy~

I hope I've included all the directions.. but if you have questions let me know..

Enjoy creating your own little nursery~

LUVZ~