What should I do if the aerial cuttings of the rose don't take root?
Abstract: This article discusses the planting of green plants and flowers regarding the issue of aerial cuttings of roses not taking root, and provides a detailed introduction for you below.
What should I do if the aerial cuttings of the rose don't take root?
Flower enthusiasts who often read articles should be familiar with the practice of taking aerial cuttings of roses. Now that it's mid-January, our roses are entering the winter pruning stage. If at this point, the branches from your aerial cuttings have not developed roots, or have very few roots, what should you do?
On the "Ask Circle," some flower enthusiasts have asked this question. The branches from the aerial cuttings have very few roots, and if not pruned, the roses will be pruned in winter. If pruned, it's unclear whether the cuttings can survive when planted, causing much indecision.
When aerial cuttings encounter winter pruning, should they be cut or left?
If you're facing a similar issue, my suggestion is to keep the climbing roses and prune the shrub roses. Why do this? I'll explain the reasons in detail below.
Climbing roses, when trained in winter, are pruned lightly. The branches from aerial cuttings, if not pruned and left on the mother plant, have a negligible impact on the overall rose plant.
However, if the branches from aerial cuttings are left on the mother plant, they can continue to develop roots. We can wait until the roots are fully developed before cutting them for transplanting, ensuring a high success rate for the aerial cuttings.
But for shrub roses, we need to prune heavily every winter to adjust the shape of the entire plant. If the branches from aerial cuttings have not developed roots and are left on the mother plant, it will not only destroy the plant's shape but also burden the mother plant.
Compared to leaving them on the mother plant, the mother plant needs to supply nutrients to the aerial cuttings, which can lead to significant consumption and affect spring flowering. Therefore, for shrub roses, it's recommended to prune them, but make sure to plant them promptly after pruning, not discarding them.
Planting Method for Unrooted Aerial Cuttings
Even though the branches from the aerial cuttings have not developed extensive roots, or even have no roots at all, in most cases, there is callous tissue, and some even have a few roots.
When cutting them, we need to pay attention to keeping the integrity of the cutting medium, as the branches have already formed a good bond with it. We keep the original cutting medium intact and plant the branches in a pot about 10 centimeters in diameter, watering thoroughly.
At the same time, we need to prune the branches, removing most of the weak ones and shortening the stronger ones, ideally to about one-third of the original length. This can reduce the consumption of the branches and also helps control the height of the new seedlings.
After planting the branches, they should be placed in a sheltered, sunny position, requiring minimal care. Just water when the soil dries out. Also, avoid shaking the branches to keep them stable.
Even though the branches have left the mother plant, because it's winter, the temperature is low, and consumption is minimal. Moreover, the original cutting medium is still well-bonded with the branches, which is similar to changing from aerial cutting to cutting propagation, and the survival rate is still quite high. For methods on aerial cutting and propagation of roses, you can refer to the book "How to Grow Roses from Scratch."
Just one thing to note, the aerial cuttings that survive and sprout in spring will mostly become blind branches, but that's okay. Blind branches are just due to insufficiently strong roots and lack of nutrients (G-Y). There's no need to prune the blind branches; just strengthen the fertilizer and water management. Once the roots grow well, they will naturally sprout new buds and bloom.
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