I want to make a cutting from a rose bush that is not blooming. Where should I make the cuttings?

Question

My mother recently passed away. In the spring of 2014, I dug up 2 rose bushes that were my grandfathers from her garden. I have planted them at my house. They survived the winter and are growing but have not blossomed. I want to make some cuttings but have no idea how to do it successfully. All that I have read said to cut after the plant has bloomed. The plants did not bloom last year at all after transplanting, and although they are growing this year they still have not bloomed.

Answer 1

Take the cuttings you have and make a 1/2 to 1 inch vertical slit through the outer layer of the cutting at what will be the bottom of rooted end. Make a couple of slits on each cutting. This can be done with a razor knife or Xacto knife. Dip the cutting back into the water after making the cuts and then dip the newly slit cuttings into a rooting harmone, which you can get a most garden centers. Just ask about rooting harmones and they should be able to help you find it. I like to get alot of the rooting harmone on them so I get the best results. You can then either stick the cuttings in large pots with seed starting soil in them or take them outside and stick them in holes in your gardens. I make holes for the cuttings with a pencil, then place the cutting in the hole and form the soils around the cutting. Water them well and place either a mason jar of an old litre pop bottle with the bottom cut out of it over them to act as a bit of a greenhouse. I have also used the Wall-O-Water things you can buy and fill the vertical tubes with water. These too make a great little green house for starting the rose cuttings. After the intial planting of the cuttings keep any eye on the soils moisture. You do not want it soaking but nicely moist. It may seem like nothing is going on but there most likely is under ground. As long as the cutting maintains its color and does not start turning brown or looking shrivled up things are doing fine. Climbers are usually very hardy so I hope you have good luck with them.The climbers may be one called Blaze, it is a beautiful red climber.

Important Notes: One of the most important factors in successfully rooting cuttings is maintaining adequate moisture, both in the soil and in the form of humidity in the air. Roses root best in bright light. But when using the mini-greenhouse method, it’s important to avoid overheating by giving some shade from hot, midday sun. Put the cuttings in bright shade, such as against the north wall of a building or under a tree, to allow rooting without too much heat build-up.