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How to take rose cuttings

Published: Tuesday, 14 June 2022 at 9:00 am

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Rose cuttings can be easily taken in late summer – we show you how.

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Roses can be grown successfully from cuttings and will grow on to make good flowering plants.

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Choose healthy stems of the current season's growth and follow our step-by-step advice to be sure of success. Roots will be produced over the winter months so that the rose cuttings can be potted in spring or early summer next season.

When to take rose cuttings

Rose cuttings should be taken from the current year's growth. You can take flexible, softwood rose cuttings of very new growth in late-spring and summer – these root quickly and easily. Semi-hardwood cuttings are taken in late summer and early autumn, when new stems are firmer and more mature. Hardwood cuttings are taken from mature stems in winter, and are the slowest and most difficult to root.

For best results we recommend taking softwood rose cuttings in late spring and early summer, choosing pencil-sized stems just beneath a faded flower. Watch the video of Alan Titchmarsh demonstrating how to take softwood rose cuttings, in summer, at the top of the page.

Below, Monty demonstrates how to take hardwood cuttings from species roses, in autumn or winter:

Where to buy roses

Secateurs are the best tool to use to take cuttings and to help you choose the right pair for you we've reviewed different types of secateurs and put together a list of the best secateurs

There are also more detailed, individual secateur reviews.

And if you need help choosing other pruning tools see our expert, individual lopper reviews and best loppers round up.

In a hurry? Here is a selection of our Best Buys from our secateurs and loppers tests:

Discover how to take rose cuttings, below.

You Will Need

Step 1

Selecting rose cutting material from the current year's growth

Selecting rose cutting material from the current year's growth

You can take cuttings from any type of rose you choose, but make sure you select long, strong, healthy stems from this season's growth, not old wood.

Step 2

Removing the leaves from the stems

Removing the leaves from the stems

Make the cuttings 25cm long, cutting above a bud at the top to remove the shoot tip and below one at the base. Leave one leaf at the top and remove all the lower leaves.

Step 3

Inserting the cuttings into a trench filled with grit

Inserting the cuttings into a trench filled with grit

Dip the base of the cutting into rooting hormone mixture. Insert several cuttings into a large pot of gritty compost or a narrow trench bottomed with horticultural grit.

Step 4

Filling in the trench

Filling in the trench

Water well, place the pot in a shaded spot and leave until cuttings have rooted. Keep the compost moist. Pot up rose plants individually when well rooted, probably next summer. If growing the cuttings in a trench, carefully fork them out to avoid damaging the roots and plant out in their final location.

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Rose replant disease

Rose replant disease is a poorly understood disorder affecting roses that have been planted in soil where roses were previously grown. It's thought to be the result of pest and pathogen build up in the soil. Symptoms include poor establishment, growth and even death of the rose. Avoid it by swapping the old soil with fresh soil from somewhere else in the garden. Feed with a high-nitrogen fertiliser after planting.

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