Published on 11/3/2008

Most roses may be propogated from hardwood cuttings, and in particular some cultivars that are related quite closely to wild species, such as rambler roses.

How to propogate roses using hardwood cuttings

Select a healthy, well ripened shoot of roughly pencil thickness shoot that has flowered in the summer and is about 30-60 cm long. Remove it, by cutting it at an angle, just above an outward facing bud. Prepare the cuttings by removing the leaves and soft tip wood.
Cut into the 23cm lenghts, by making an angled cut above the top bud and a straight cut below the bottom bud. Dust the base with hormone rooting powder.
Make a row of planting holes around 15 cm deep and the same distance apart. In heavy soil, put a little coarse sand to a depth of about 2.5cm in each hole.
Insert a cutting into each hole, make sure that it reaches the bottom and that about 15 cm of the cutting is buried. Firm the soil, water, and label the cuttings.
A year later, lift each rooted cutting with a hand for, taking care not to damage the roots. Plant them in a bed or put them in a cold frame to grow on.