Creating roses from cuttings is a good and cheap way to stock up the roses in your garden. The ‘junior roses” will have the same attributes as the respective parent plant (as it is a genetic clone of the parent), so you can easily multiply roses of the type you like best.

Create roses from cuttings. An How to.

It’s best to create cuttings a bit later in the year (early to late summer), as a dormant rose will not form roots and new leaves, thus being vulnerable to mold. For doing so, cut of branches about ten to fifteen inches long from the old plant and stick them deeply into the soil – circa half of the complete branch should be covered by soil. You best cut large leaves off or cut them in half, as they would consume a large amount of energy that your new rose may not be able to supply.

I found it handy to cover the cutting with a preserving glass put on top of the cutting so that moisture is retained inside and the plant is protected from harsh weather and pests. The soil should, however, not be too moist, as cuttings are easily attacked by fungi. If everything goes alright, new buds will form in between one week and one month!

By the way, you don’t necessarily have to cut of branches from your own roses, but may take those from cut flowers etc.

Spring time is coming soon – which means that you best take some time to worry about your roses and ensure that they take a good start into the new year. Of course, you can also plant new roses in spring: In fact, it’s a perfect time for planting, as your roses will start to bloom right in your garden!
I have composed some steps that have always helped me to maintain my roses and have also worked for friends of mine. How much time and money (for equipment) you want to invest is – as always – your choice.

At what time should I start the rose care?

Well, this depends on your climate. End of January for warmer climates, end of April for colder climates. You can also have a look at your roses: Start these steps once the new buds are starting to get wider (but always before the leaves are starting unfurl!).

Mulching

If you’ve covered the soil around your roses with mulch or compost during winter, take most of it away and apply a new layer. The new layer will slow the evaporation of water and thus supply your roses with enough water (for this steps, it’s vital that there will be no more freezing temperatures).

Fertilizing

Apply fertilizer – all purpose fertilizer is sufficient for most kinds of roses – right at the beginning of the season. You can also use manure, if available. Continue to fertilize in steps between two weeks and four weeks during summer, but stop before the beginning of autumn (around September).

Pruning

In spring, this means to remove old and diseased parts of the plant – it is quite vital to promote new growth. You shouldn’t cut away too much of the plant as it may be weakened: One fourth to one third of all canes is enough. Once you’ve done this and the roses start to bloom, you should wait until midsummer for the next pruning. Always cut close to the new buds in a 45 degree angle, if possible.

Not every type of rose requires pruning to get into the new year, but for me, it’s always been a good way to clean them up and control their size. Remember to clean the area once you’re done and to remove all dead leaves and debris.

Spraying

You should also spray your roses if you’ve noticed fungus or mildew on them. I like to use a combination of lime sulphur and horticultural oil, which I get from a gardening market nearby. Do so after you’ve pruned and apply until the plant is well covered in it (also remember to apply it on the soil in good measure).

These tips should also work fine for your roses. Have a good start into the gardining season 2012!

P.S.: You can also plant dormant roses in spring. Best put the plant into a pot of water and let it soak for about two hours; remember to use fresh earth as well as fertilizer for the young roses. Newly planted roses require a hell lot of watering, but you better water frequently and control that the soil doesn’t  remain too wet (beware fungus..) after one day.

My first roses article had so many readers, so I decided to write another one. It is not hard to do, if you know how to plant roses correctly. I hope you enjoy it. Here it is:

Choose the correct location

Roses love the sun

Like us human, roses also love airy places with guaranteed sunshine. On appropriate locations for roses robust varieties will have a vital life without the use of pesticides. Sunny locations provide a quick drying of wet rose leaves, so the vulnerability to get fungal diseases is mitigated significantly. Roses have deep roots that go down into the ground pretty quickly.

In the garden of roses they therefore prefer a deep, sandy-loamy soil with adequate humus and nutrient proportions. The soil is not much important – roses grow in all uncompressed garden ground. Where other ornamental trees grow without problems, also a rose is garden possible.

A totally unsuitable location for roses is below the crowns of old, deciduous trees. In the drip area of the crowns, the leaves of the rose plant do not dry fast enough, mildew finds an ideal breeding ground.

Note: Before you plant roses on sites that already have grown roses for several years, you should find out about appropriate measures how to prevent stunted growth of newly planted roses.

Locations for potted roses

You know, roses are sun lovers, but they are no heat fanatics. This is especially true for big roses in pots and containers, which endure the hot summer days on off-sun terrace sites. Extremely hot south-facing slopes, combined with heat-storing walls, paving stones and asphalt, act like an oven. This results in leaf burn. Also the extreme air dryness promotes the spread of spider mites, which can be annoying pests.

Prepare soil well

Before planting roses soil preparation is important. Soil compressions are essential to break.  Remove before planting  roses all root weeds – preferably with a digging fork – out of the bed. Soil improvers lead the organic materials back to the bio-circulation, a process that promotes life in the soil and thus the growth of roses.

How to plant correctly

Remove any damaged roots (just above the damaged area). The fine roots generally remain uncut, because the more of them remain at the rose tree, the safer the growing is. The aerial green shoots of bare-rooted roses are to be cut back to about eight inch (scissors length) with a sharp pair of scissors. All the roses that are planted with bare root, you should generally put in a water bath before the fall or spring planting for four to five hours (with all shot and root parts).

The planting hole should be a few inches larger as the bale or bare root. Mix some slow-release fertilizer granules under the potting soil. The bottom of the hole you should be thoroughly loosen to with a digging fork, so that water drainage is possible well. Now place the rose vertically in the planting hole. Ideally, a second helper holds the rose, so that the roots dangle free and unbent in the planting pit.

After planting the graft union must be located 5 inch deep in the earth. Also, the planting depth of container roses is not oriented on the ball size, but rather at the graft union of the rose. Fill the planting hole with soil and contact the rose slightly with the paragraph. While doing keep the rose firmly so that the important height position does not changes seriously.  Sludge the rose tree with the garden hose after planting to fill any voids and to ensure optimal ground circuit.

Never forget ridging

After planting, ridge the soil around the rose about 6 inch high, so that you can see only the shoot tips of the rose bush. You should do this whether you plant in spring or in autumn. It protects roses from wind, sun and frost.  Remove the ridge at the fall planting in April and at the spring planting eight weeks after – but at the earliest, when the new shoots have reached a length of 4 inch.