How to Propagate Roses From Stem Cuttings

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 15 - 30 mins
  • Total Time: 2 - 3 wks
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $10 to $20

Propagating roses is best done by rooting green stems or healthy softwood cuttings. This stem clipping method is trickier with woody-stemmed plants, although can be successful if you take several woody cuttings, expecting some to fail. It is not recommended to propagate hybrid roses from cuttings if grafts have produced them. Grafted roses are not as successful at surviving the rooting process.

A pink stem rose.

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

How and When to Take Rose Stem Cuttings

When propagating roses from cuttings, only take stem clippings from non-grafted shrub roses, or "wild" or "native" pure species. Many hybrids are created through grafting using branches from showy but delicate species fused with a sturdier rootstock. The problem with propagating hybrid roses from cuttings is when you take a stem cutting for propagation, you only take a branch clipping from the top parts of the plant, which lacks the parent plant's root hardiness.

What Is a Shrub Rose?

The term "shrub rose" is usually reserved for non-hybrid roses, although some hybrids—Moyesi hybrids, hybrid musk roses, Kordesii roses, English roses, and Knock Out roses—are included. These hybrids, like native roses, are formed from their "own root" and not grafted, so they join the shrub rose category and often grow well from stem cuttings.

Rooting a stem cutting can be done almost any time, but cuttings taken from new growth that has recently flowered (rather than old, hardened wood) are more likely to root successfully. Spring or fall is the best time to take softwood stem cuttings. A horticultural professor suggests late fall or winter as a better time to propagate rose stem cuttings.

"Success is much more likely during the cool months from November through February. Late fall is a favorite time because there are usually a few blossoms remaining on everblooming types to identify them," according to Dr. William Welch, professor and landscape horticulturist at Texas A&M University.

Take cuttings in the early morning hours when the plant is well hydrated. Avoid removing cuttings when your plant is heavily blooming and concentrating its energy on flower production instead of root development; cuttings won't readily root.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Pruning shears

Materials

  • Mature rose plant for cuttings
  • Powdered rooting hormone
  • Plant pot
  • Sand and vermiculite or a rose potting mixture
  • Plastic bag or plastic wrap

Instructions

Materials and tools photo composite to grow roses from cuttings

The Spruce / Michela Buttignol

How to Propagate Roses From Cuttings

Sharp pruners are necessary when taking rose cuttings. Dull tools can crush the rose's woody stems instead of forming a clean slice, making the cutting susceptible to fungal rot. Furthermore, clean your pruners before and after each cutting to avoid transmitting diseases. 

  1. Take Cuttings

    • Start by taking a 12-inch segment of a newly blooming stem and cutting it from the plant at a 45-degree angle. The stem should be about the width of a pencil. The best cuttings for rooting usually come from the sides of the bush rather than the center.
    • Remove any flowers or flower buds along the cut stem. Flowers or buds on the cut branch will consume energy, and you want to encourage the stem to refocus its survival energy on sending out new roots. 
    • If you're taking multiple cuttings, place them in a water container to keep them hydrated until you're ready to propagate them.
    person taking a cutting from a rose bush

    The Spruce / Claire Cohen

  2. Remove Most Leaves

    • Remove all but the top two sets of leaves on the stem.
    • Cut off the remaining stem portion just above this top set of leaves. Removing the excess leaves will help the cutting divert energy to root production.
    A person removing leaves from a rose stem.

    The Spruce / Claire Cohen

  3. Prepare the Stem for Rooting

    • Using sharp pruning shears, make a fresh cut on the bottom of the stem just below a stem node (a bump where new growth typically forms).
    • Slice into the bottom of the stem about a 1/4 inch up, splitting the stem into open quarters.
    Up close view of a rose stem prepared for propagation.

    The Spruce / Claire Cohen

  4. Apply Rooting Hormone (Optional)

    Although not necessary, applying a rooting hormone can help spur your rose plant to develop new roots. Rooting hormones can be found in powder, liquid, and gel forms. When working with roses, you'll succeed best with the powder version. To apply:

    • Slightly moisten the split end of the rose cutting.
    • Dip the cut end into the powdered rooting hormone.
    • Shake off any excess.
    A person dipping the end of a rose stem into rooting hormone.

    The Spruce / Claire Cohen

  5. Plant the Cutting

    • Fill a small pot with at least 6 inches of a potting mix formulated especially for roses.
    • Poke a hole, using a finger, in the potting medium.
    • Insert the stem sliced-side down, careful not to rub off the rooting hormone.
    • Gently pack the soil around the stem.
    • Water well. 
    Rose stem in a pot of soil.

    The Spruce / Claire Cohen

  6. Cover the Cutting

    • Loosely cover the cutting, pot, and everything else with a plastic bag or plastic wrap to help retain soil moisture. Do not let the plastic touch any remaining leaves on the stem, as this can cause them to remain wet and become susceptible to fungal disease.
    • Put a tall stake into the pot to help hold the plastic away from the leaves. The bag must also be slightly vented so condensation can escape—if you seal the bag too tightly, the stem can rot. 
    • Place the cutting under grow lights or near a bright window.
    Potted rose stem covered with plastic.

    The Spruce / Claire Cohen

  7. Monitor the Cutting

    • Keep the soil moist until roots form, which usually takes two weeks.
    • Check for roots by gently tugging on the stem—if there's resistance, roots are probably present.
    • When the roots are firmly established, or new leaf sprouts appear along the stem, transplant the new plant into a pot or the ground
    • Harden off the new rose plant by gradually exposing it to outdoor conditions before moving it or planting it outside.

    Tip

    Be patient when growing roses from cuttings. It can take several years for your new rose to produce flowers.

FAQ
  • Should rose cuttings be rooted in water or soil?

    Roses can be rooted in water, though soil tends to produce stronger roots. When rooting in water, place half of the rose stem cutting in a water-filled container and keep it in a bright window or under grow lights. Change the water at least once or twice per week.

  • Which is the best month to propagate roses?

    Some experts recommend propagating roses from November to February. By fall, you can see which roses were healthy, vibrant, and lasted the longest. After the flowers fade, take a cutting from one of those long-blooming bushes and root it indoors under controlled conditions over the winter.

  • What is the fastest way to root rose cuttings?

    The easiest way to propagate roses is to take a cutting from young growth that's finished blooming and apply a rooting hormone to encourage the development of a root system.

  • How long do rose cuttings take to root?

    After about two months, many roots should have formed on the rose cutting. However, the cutting can take two to three growing seasons to produce considerable growth and establish itself.

  • Can you successfully grow roses from cuttings in a potato?

    Viral memes showing a rose stem cutting growing by putting the cut end into a potato are accurate. You can take this approach; however, results are the same, if not likely faster, using only soil and water.

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  1. Rose propagation from cuttings. Texas A&M University.