The rose is a beloved flower that comes in a variety of colors and shapes to symbolize love, friendship and respect. Roses can be given as gifts, or you can grow them yourself at home to enjoy the fragrance and beauty of the flowers. This article will introduce three common methods of propagating roses: cuttings, grafting, and sowing, as well as their respective advantages, disadvantages and precautions. With these methods, you can make your roses bloom more beautifully, and you can also breed new varieties.
Cuttings are a method of propagation using the stems or branches of roses, and its principle is to use the wounds of the stems or branches to form calli, thus producing new roots and shoots. The advantages of the cuttings method are that they are simple and easy to implement, have a high survival rate, and do not change the original characteristics of the variety. The disadvantage of the cuttings method is that it is necessary to choose the appropriate cutting material and cutting time, otherwise the cutting effect will be affected.
The specific steps of the cuttings method are as follows:
Choose the material for cuttings. The cuttings should be healthy, mature, pest-free rose stems or shoots with a length of about 15-20 cm and a diameter of about 05-1 cm with 3-5 segments. The top of the cuttings material should be fresh buds or unopened flowers, and the bottom should be a semi-lignified part.
Handle cuttings material. Use sterilized scissors or a knife to bevel the top of the cuttings material, making an incision about 1-2 cm from the bud or flower at the top. The bottom of the cuttings material is cut straight, and the saving from the bottom of the cut is 05-1 cm. Cut off the leaves and spines in the middle part of the cuttings material, keeping the top and bottom leaves, but cutting off half of the leaves to reduce water evaporation.
Soak the cuttings material. Soak the bottom of the cuttings material in a rooting agent, which can be a commercial rooting powder or liquid, or homemade honey or aloe vera juice, etc. The soaking time varies depending on the rooting agent, but is generally 10-30 minutes. After soaking, gently pat the bottom of the cuttings material dry to prevent the rooting agent from falling.
Cuttings Cuttings material. Prepare a cuttings pot or box, the size of the pot or box depends on the amount of cuttings material, generally 20-30 cm long, 15-20 cm wide, and 10-15 cm deep. Place a layer of gravel or broken bricks on the bottom of the basin or box to facilitate drainage. A layer of humus or peat soil, about 3-5 cm thick, is laid on top of stones or broken bricks as a substrate for cuttings. Water the cuttings substrate thoroughly so that it is moist but not too wet. Use your fingers or a stick to dig some small holes in the cutting substrate with a depth of about 5-8 cm and a spacing of about 5-10 cm. Insert the bottom of the cuttings material into the holes so that they are in close contact with the cuttings substrate, and only one cuttings material is inserted into each hole. Once plugged in, gently press the cuttings substrate by hand to prevent air from entering.
Cultivating cuttings material. Place the cuttings in a warm, ventilated, semi-shaded place away from direct sunlight. Spray water with a watering can every day to maintain the humidity of the cuttings substrate, but not too much, to prevent mold. Every other week, water with diluted liquid fertilizer to promote the growth of cuttings material. Cuttings generally take root in about a month, and you can feel resistance by gently pulling the top of the cuttings material, or if you see new shoots growing on the top of the cuttings, it means that it has taken root. Once rooted, the cuttings can be transplanted into pots or gardens for further conservation.
Grafting is a method that uses the buds or branches of a rose to combine with the root system of another rose, and its principle is to use the similarity of two roses to make them heal at the incision, thus forming a new rose. The advantage of the grafting method is that it can take advantage of different varieties of roses, such as flower color, flower type, disease resistance, etc., to create new varieties. The disadvantage of the grafting method is that it is more complicated, requires certain skills and tools, and the survival rate is not high.
The specific steps of the grafting method are as follows:
Select the grafting material. There are two types of grafting materials: rootstock and scion. The rootstock refers to the roses used to provide the root system, it should be healthy, strong, free of diseases and pests, generally choose wild roses or disease-resistant varieties. Scion refers to the rose used to provide buds or branches, it should be healthy, mature, free of pests and diseases, generally choose your favorite variety or want to breed the variety. The diameter of the rootstock and scion should be as close as possible to facilitate grafting.
Handling of grafting materials. Cut off the stems or shoots of the rootstock with sterilized scissors or knives, the incision is about 10-15 cm from the ground, the incision should be flat and free of burrs. The stems or shoots of the rootstock are cut to form a T-shaped incision with a depth of about 1-2 cm and a width of about 05-1 cm. Cut the bud or shoot of the scion with sterilized scissors or a knife, the incision is about 1-2 cm from the bottom of the bud or shoot, the incision should be flat and free of burrs. Cut the buds or branches of the scion into wedges on both sides with a length of about 1-2 cm and a width of about 05-1 cm, matching the incision of the rootstock. Cut off the top leaves and spines of the bud or shoot of the scion, leaving the bottom leaf but cutting off half of the leaf to reduce water evaporation. 3.Grafting grafting materials. Insert the bud of the scion or the wedge-shaped part of the shoot into the T-shaped incision of the rootstock so that it is in close contact with the incision of the rootstock, and try to align the phloem (the outer layer of the stem or branch) of the two to facilitate healing. Wrap the grafted area with plastic film or tape to prevent water loss and bacteria from entering. Use a toothpick or bamboo pick to secure the graft site to prevent displacement. 4.Cultivating grafting materials. Place the grafting pot or box in a warm, ventilated, semi-shaded place away from direct sunlight. Spray water with a watering can every day to maintain the humidity of the grafted site, but not too much, to prevent mold. Every other week, water with diluted liquid manure to promote the growth of the grafting material. The grafted material will generally heal in about a month, and it is possible to feel resistance by gently pulling the top of the grafted material, or by seeing new shoots growing on the top of the grafted material, it means that it has healed. After healing, the grafted material can be transplanted into a pot or garden to continue conservation.
The sowing method is a method of propagation using the seeds of roses, and its principle is to use the germination of seeds to produce new roots and shoots. The advantage of the seeding method is that it can take advantage of natural variation to produce new varieties and does not require special tools and techniques. The disadvantage of the sowing method is that it is necessary to choose the right seed and sowing time, and the survival rate and flowering rate are not high, and the flower color and flower type may be different from the female parent.
The specific steps of the seeding method are as follows:
Select the seed. The seeds should be the fruit of healthy, ripe, pest-free roses, generally naturally pollinated roses rather than artificially hybridized roses, which can be sterile or unstable. The color of the seeds should be dark brown or black, and the surface should be smooth and free of cracks or spots.
Handle the seeds. Remove the seeds from the fruit and rinse them with clean water to remove the pulp and impurities. Place the seeds on a paper towel, cover them with another paper towel and press gently so that they absorb moisture, but not too wet. Place the seeds in a sealed plastic bag in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for lamination. The purpose of the layering treatment is to simulate the natural dormancy and germination process of the seeds, promoting the germination of the seeds. The duration of the lamination treatment varies depending on the seed, but generally ranges from 4 to 12 weeks. During the layering treatment, the status of the seeds should be checked regularly, and if moldy or germinated seeds are found, they should be removed in time and treated separately.
Sow seeds. Prepare a seeding pot or box, the size of the pot or box depends on the number of seeds, generally 20-30 cm long, 15-20 cm wide, and 10-15 cm deep. Place a layer of gravel or broken bricks on the bottom of the basin or box to facilitate drainage. A layer of humus or peat soil with a thickness of about 3-5 cm is laid on top of the stones or broken bricks as a substrate for sowing. Water the seeding substrate thoroughly so that it is moist but not too wet. Use your finger or stick to dig some small holes in the seeding substrate with a depth of about 05-1 cm, the spacing of the holes is about 5-10 cm. Place the seeds in the holes, with only one seed per hole. Cover the seeds with a layer of fine sand or thin soil with a thickness of about 05 cm. Spray water with a watering can to moisten it, but not too much, to prevent mold.
Grow the seeds. Place the planting pot or box in a warm, ventilated, bright place away from direct sunlight. Spray water daily with a watering can to keep the sowing substrate moist, but not too much, to prevent mold. Every other week, water with diluted liquid fertilizer to promote the growth of the seeds. Seeds generally germinate in 2-4 weeks, and you can see green buds growing on the top of the seeds, indicating that they have germinated. Once germinated, the seeds can be transplanted into pots or gardens to continue their maintenance.
Roses are a beautiful and meaningful flower that can bring joy and warmth to people. With the three propagation methods introduced above, you can make your roses bloom more beautifully, and you can also breed new varieties that will increase your fun. I hope you enjoyed this article and that you will be successful in propagating your roses. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a message below and I will reply to you as soon as possible. Thank you for reading and I wish you a blossom of roses and a wonderful life!