Anyone ever go "rose rustling?" This is the act of searching out old roses and taking cuttings, then trying to get them to root. I would love to hear some success stories as I am new to this whole thing. I live in Zone 5-6, and around here I hear that it's a good time to take rose cuttings. A few days ago, my husband and I were out for a country drive, and we stopped at one point to take a little walk along a bike path. We both noticed a strong apple smell in the air, but there were no apple trees! We didn't know what to think. Just at that moment, a certain bush caught my eye, as it had large bright red "berries" all over it and they made a striking picture. Upon closer inspection I realized that the berries were in fact rose hips, and we had discovered what I think might be Eglantine! The Eglantine rose is known for its apple-scented foliage. I talked my husband into climbing into the bramble (ouch!) to pull off a stem for me. From it, I got 4 cuttings and I am attempting to root them now. We also retrieved one of the ripe hips. I took the seeds out and stuck them in the fridge to keep for winter. I have read that it is difficult to start roses from seed, but I figured it was worth a shot at least.
It's not difficult to germinate rose seeds. The seedlings of Rosa eglantine should come true, being a species rather than a hybridised variety. I find this article by Dr. Malcoml Manners the easiest to follow. The Texas Rose Rustler h as a much shorter much shorter article on seed germintion. Their website also has an interesting article on the etiquette of rose rustling.
Hello fellow rustler, I have been taking rose cuttings for years. It took me a little while to get the hang of it, but now I have over 90% success on all the roses I try to root. I like to use a mixture of peat moss and sand as my potting medium and I use a home-made mist system. I like to take softwood cuttings. I select a healthy plant that peferably is in bloom. I count down three leaf axils from the bloom and make my cut just above the fourth. You can count down three more and get another one if you like. Then I cut off the bloom. After the bloom is cast away I cut the excess (the wood between the third and fourth axil) then I dip it in rooting powder and stick it, packing it in real good. I have a small plastic house that is in a shady area. Over the cuttings I have a fogger. The fogger is just a mister I bought at Wall Mart for cooling patios. This thing plugs into a garden hose. You can use a garden sparyer to mist them if you like but it is a lot more work. Having the cutting in 4 inch pots makes it easy to check. When the roots start to come out of the bottom I put them in gallons and give them a feeding. I keep them in the shade for a couple of days and then when they get new growth I put them in the sun. I hope I havent been too long winded. GOOD LUCK! PS people root roses in water so I never worry about them getting too wet, but I don't drown them either.
Not at all, I appreciate the information! I'll definitely be trying your method in the spring. I'm done with taking cuttings for the fall ... I think!!
I think Alabama's method is worth a try;though I will put rooting hormone on the end of a larger cane that has several nodes at the base for a good branching base. This is going to take several weeks for me to find out if it will work. The soil is what I am concerned with, but a friend says he "just sticks a stem of a rose he likes into the ground and within a few weeks knows if it has rooted." Also said that does it all of the time and has great success. We are Portland OR area residents where the native soil is a strong asset, and misters arn't needed either. I wish everyone luck this year.
