If you’re like me and love having a rose garden, growing roses in water from cuttings will help you get it!
One of the things that bring me lots of joy is being in the garden around roses. It’s like instant good vibes! Just imagine being surrounded by that amazing smell!
An easy way to propagate roses in your garden is from rose cuttings in water.
Here’s exactly how I do it:
- Get a sharp, clean garden scissor. I like using the one for pruning like in the image below. The idea is to get a really clean cut!
- Take cuttings from the roses you like by cutting diagonally above a rose bud like in the picture below. The cuttings should be 15 to 20/25 cm long.
- Carefully remove all the leaves from the stem. You can cut them close to the base of the stem with the same garden scissor. It’s important to not damage the stem.
- Place the cuttings in a jar with fresh water and put them near a sunny window or somewhere where they can receive enough light. I don’t put more than 3 cuttings in a jar. It also depends on the size of the jar.
- Change the water every 2,3 days and keep an eye on how the stem looks. It should be a healthy green. You can also run some water on the stem where it stays in water to keep it clean especially if you forget to change the water!
- Soon you might see new leaves growing.
- After a few weeks/months you’ll notice some growth ( callus ) at the end of the stem shown in the image below. Soon after you’ll see roots growing.
- Once you see callus forming you have two options. One is to plant the stem in soil and the other one is to wait for the roots to show up and then plant it.
- Once in soil make sure you water it so the soil won’t get dry! ( but make sure you’re not overwatering )
- Enjoy your roses!
Important Q&A and things to keep in mind!
Q: Will all the cuttings survive?
A: Not always. Some will develop roots and survive while others won’t.
Q: How long does it take for rose cuttings to grow roots?
A: It depends! I had cuttings grow roots in 2, 3 weeks ( I was actually amazed ) and some took a few months. As long as the stem is healthy and green DON’T GIVE UP on it!
Q: What do I do if the stem turns black?
A: If possible cut the black portion of the stem until you reach healthy green stem and put it back in water…it might survive. If not…just take another fresh cut and start again.
Q: What do I do if the stem gets yellow/brown/wrinkled?
A: Get another fresh cut and try again.
Q: When is the right time to take cuttings?
A: People usually take cuttings in spring or autumn but it’s not necessarily a rule! I took cuttings in the middle of the summer and they did just fine! Personally I like taking cuttings in late autumn when I prune the roses and allow them to grow roots during winter. When spring comes I just place them in soil.
Q: When should I plant the roses outside?
A: I do it late spring when the weather is warm enough or after the last frost, but also during early summer.
Q: What if they develops roots but it’s too cold outside to plant them?
A: I put them in pots and keep them inside until the weather is good enough to transplant them outside. Just be careful not to damage roots when transplanting outside.
Q: Do I have to wait for the roots to grow in order to plant them?
A: No. Once the callus is formed you can put them in soil.
Q: What do I do if the stem looks healthy but no roots after months?
A: If the weather is ok put it outside in soil. Each rose is different and has its own time.
Q: How long will it take till I’ll have flowers?
A: It depends. A few weeks or months usually. If planted in spring for example you might get flowers by early/late summer or early autumn. If planted in autumn you might get flowers in late spring.
And that’s pretty much it. If you guys have any questions or want to share some tips from your own experience please do!
