Many roses can be successfully grown from cuttings, especially Miniatures, Polyantha, Shrub (including Hybrid Musk, Hybrid Rugosa, Groundcovers) and Patio Roses.
Timing
In South Australia, hardwood cuttings are generally taken in late April, May and June. The best results, in my experience, are with cuttings taken in early May.
Cutting Material
Hardwood cuttings come from mature wood – approximately pencil thickness. If you can readily remove the thorns without tearing the bark, the wood is mature enough.
Preparing Cuttings
Cuttings should ideally have 4 buds and I like to make a horizontal cut approximately 1mm below the bottom bud. The cut above the top bud can be less precise (say 3 to 5mm) and does not have to be horizontal. I remove all thorns for easy handling.
Generally, I prepare a bundle of 10 to 15 cuttings and bind them tightly with a rubber band. I make sure all of the bottoms of the cuttings form a horizontal plane. I do this by placing the base of the bundle on a flat surface and either gently tapping the bundle or pushing down on each cutting until their bases are all on the same plane.
Remember to label your bundles.
Callusing Cuttings
You can callus the cuttings by:
Using this method, a couple of useful hints are, firstly, to dampen the newspaper 2-3 days prior to use (one problem experienced is if the paper is too wet/damp) and, secondly, to tap the wrapped bundle of cuttings on a firm surface prior to placing it in a plastic bag to ensure the damp paper is in contact with the base of the cuttings.
The cuttings are callused when the base of the cutting produces a white callus around the perimeter of the base of the cutting. It is from this callus that new roots are produced. (Sometimes, if you leave cuttings in the damp paper too long, roots are evident and, unfortunately, these will be easily damaged when transferring the cutting to the potting medium).
Growing Your Cuttings
Once callused (either in sand or paper), I transfer the cuttings to a 'base' potting mix. Don't use a 'premium' mix as this often has fertiliser in it which can 'burn' the callus or baby roots. The base potting mix must have good drainage capabilities but also retain moisture (i.e. not dry out too quickly).
I plant my cutting to a depth equating to the second bud from the base, water it (preferably with rainwater) and then place it out in the open air in a warm sunny spot. I use 4" or 10cm pots.
I don't over-water these cuttings. In my experience, natural rainfall is sufficient until the weather warms up in September/October.
The baby plants will be ready to plant directly into the garden by the end of October.
In summary, roses grow well from cuttings and it's great to witness their progress – so, give it a try.
Kelvin Trimper
Thankfully we can now control pests and diseases in our gardens with a far greater understanding of how to eliminate or control these little problems. In some cases it may not be necessary to do anything, as by knowing their life cycle and their natural predators can be just as effective in controlling them.
But this was not so in nurseries around the 1940’s to the 1980’s. Then it was like using a toxic sledgehammer to eliminate tiny aphids, spider mites, caterpillars, etc. For pest control production nurseries had an arsenal of the most toxic chemicals known to man. The usual agents of death were Arsenate of Lead, Nicotine Sulphate, Dieldrin, D.D.T., Metasystox, Malathion, Paraquat (Agent Orange), Diquat (spelling??) etc. To sterilise soils an insidious, extremely toxic poison Methyl Bromide was used until quite recent years. Until quite recently some nurseries used a defoliant to cause leaves to drop prior to digging the roses. Now known as Agent Orange, and used in Vietnam War, we now know how this affected people.
For fungal diseases of black-spot, mildew, rust, and even aphids, the usual method was sulphur. Dusted over the entire field of roses, spraying the insects and plants with a dense cloud of yellow powder, which also covered the person spraying, covering their hair and in the eyes which was most distressing.
Protective clothing was not readily available or even thought necessary, apart from gloves, rubber boots, and perhaps a nose mask.
It was a hazardous job being a nurseryman.
Thankfully times have changed for the better. Most nurseries now operate a Controlled Pest Management program in their plant production so eliminating the use of toxic sprays forever. This information is now widely available so sensible advice can be passed onto home gardeners offering safer options if necessary.
Disasters with weed spray still happen though, even by quite intelligent people. If using Glyphosate weedkiller (like Roundup, etc) spray very, very carefully, on only a still day with no wind so spray drift cannot damage plants nearby. Glyphosate weedkiller must be kept in its own container so always mark with big black letters WEED-KILLER to prevent any mistake by a willing helper. You may know the different sprays but do others? This is just common sense you would think but I have known of too many accidents with plants sprayed thinking the container was cleaned out and then used for an altogether different purpose. The roses begin to die and it is then too late.
For your own safety also keep special clothing to use when spraying anything at all. Current sprays are not as hazardous but safety equipment is still important for your own protection. None of these are difficult to get or expensive, they are just simple precautions, eg. long-arm gloves, rubber boots, long sleeved shirts, hair covering or hat, safety glasses, nose and mouth mask, or even buy a cheap, lightweight plastic coverall from safety equipment stores. Perhaps this sounds unnecessary but your protection is paramount.
But you do not have to go to these extremes. It is possible to successfully control pests and diseases in the rose garden with simple and safe measures. I have compiled a list of rose problems and their spray options, which if placed in a prominent place can be used for quick and easy reference.
I firmly believe the average gardener does not want to spray toxic chemicals. Through education and the realisation of damage to our environment, the responsibility we must keep to waterways, soils, clean air, and the long-term effects on ourselves, valuable lessons have been learnt to ensure health and safety in the garden.
Maureen Ross – ROSS ROSES