The whole idea is to get fresh and promising cutting materials and then keep them moist until you can root the cuttings. That is the reason for the zip-lock bag and paper towels.
The process seems complicated, but it is really very easy:
Select cutting material from new growth that is not too limber but not too old and stiff. The very young shoots are extremely tender and may well turn to mush when they are put in potting mix. Similarly, very old wood is harder and tougher than new wood (and less likely to make roots). So part of the key to success is to start with the right material. I have been successful with tiny twigs, but it takes some doing because these tiny twigs do not have a lot of strength or stored-up nutrients to sustain them until the roots can form and grow. So it is really a little better to start with cutting material that is about the diameter of a #2 pencil and about 3 inches to 4 inches long. The ideal cutting material comes from a stem that diameter, that is topped with a spent flower. You see, when a flower appears at the terminal end of a stem, it is not possible for the stem to grow any farther that direction.
Therefore, the flower sends a chemical messenger back down the shoot that activates all of the buds below it and encourages them to grow new branches and leaves. The same thing happens to a lesser degree when a shoot is pruned. This is why occasional light pruning can promote active growth in the plant. Since material in the leaf and stem buds is undifferentiated, it does not yet know whether it is supposed to be roots or leaves. Therefore, once the bud has been activated, the ones that find themselves underground are very likely to make roots.
Cut off pieces about the diameter of a #2 pencil and about 3-4 inches long, with at least three leaves, bit usually not more than 5 leaves. Cut the material off the parent plant with sharp clippers o a sharp knife.
Put the cuttings in the zip-lock bags.
Make a label on a 3x5 card with a pencil.
Put the label inside the baggie with the cuttings.
Wet a paper towel and put it inside the baggie to maintain almost 100 percent humidity.
Press any excess air out of the baggie so that it will not take too much space.
ZIP the baggie closed so that the moisture cannot escape.
Be sure to put the baggie in a cool protected place out of the sun, and either plant the cuttings or refrigerate the unopened baggie as soon as possible. When I am out in the field, Rose Rustling, I carry a cheap Styrofoam cooler, with a little ice and newspaper. I put the ice in the bottom with the sodas (double duty), then a layer of newspaper to keep the sodas cool and to keep the cuttings from getting frostbite, and then cuttings, and then the lid to exclude the sunlight.
I like to refrigerate the cuttings for 24 to 48 hours in the crisper portion of the refrigerator. It turns out that if the temperature is below 50 degrees, fungal spores will not germinate readily. So by refrigerating the cuttings for a day or two, I can suppress the fungal spores and they go to sleep for the "winter". That gives the cuttings a head start on the fungus and it also permits the wound where the stem was cut to start forming a callus.
I really encourage you to take many, many more cuttings than you think that you (or I) will need, because you never know how many will strike roots. Typical success rates can be as high as 65%, or even higher for some roses, but they also can be 5% or less for other roses. So please send enough so that I will have a reasonable chance for success even if it turns out to be a "difficult" rose.
I also really encourage you to mail me some cuttings of anything else that looks "interesting" because I do have some greenhouse space, and that gives even more chances for success. I will be happy to try any cuttings that you send, and I will also be happy to share the results.
The number of cuttings that you take from the plant should not be a concern unless the plant is very weak or severely damaged. I try to never take more than 1/3 of the foliage so that the plant will not be too shocked, but a little pruning (translate "Rose Rustling") is actually good for roses now and then.
After the 1 or 2 day refrigeration process, just send the labeled baggies of cuttings to me by U. S. Mail (1st class is usually fast enough), and be sure to send me an e-mail to let me know that they are on the way. Also be sure that your return address is in the package so I will know what the cuttings are and where they came from. It generally takes between 6 to 12 weeks to root a cutting and then there is a vulnerable period that lasts 3-6 months while the roots and foliage develop. But so far I have had pretty good success.
If you want to send cuttings to me, the address is:
Joe Cooper
P. O. Box 2176
37 Seewald Road
Boerne, Texas 78006
(830) 537-9177
cooper@ph-rose-gardens.com
Last updated 10/02/2001