Questions and Answers about the Rose Cutting Process
For many girls, some experience with roses and China roses, here is a clarification of doubts that arise during the rose cutting process, with a detailed introduction below.
Many flower enthusiasts have tried rose cutting on their own, but they all have some questions during the process, which are all about basic plant growth knowledge. Here, I will provide a refresher course.
1. Why do cuttings of roses sprout buds before roots appear.
The sprouting of cuttings is caused by the nutrients stored within the branches, which has nothing to do with roots. The buds produce growth hormones (auxin), which are transmitted downwards to the bottom, inducing wound healing and root formation, which is a long process. The nutrients in the branches are limited, and the amount of hormones produced is not much. The initial sprouting and growth hormones almost consume all resources, and later on, the new leaves need to produce energy through photosynthesis. The young plants cannot move, as the water needed for photosynthesis can only be exchanged through close contact with the soil at the bottom.
This situation is called "false life," and it is only considered truly alive when roots grow out and a second round of sprouting occurs.
Therefore, when selecting branches, one should choose sturdy and full branches. Too young branches may lack sufficient nutrients and contain too much moisture, making them susceptible to infections or dehydration, while too old branches are fully lignified, with inactive buds and are not easy to survive.
2. At what stage can the plant be transplanted?
After sprouting, the cutting may stop growing for a long time, even up to 1-2 months. Do not fertilize, but you can spray a dilute foliar fertilizer weekly to nourish it. When the second round of sprouting occurs, it indicates that the roots have grown.
Usually, the second round of sprouting does not bloom, as the roots are still tender and not able to absorb enough water and nutrients to promote flowering. So, after growing a few leaves, growth will stop again, which is the right time for transplantation.
When transplanting, try to keep the soil, as this is something to remember. Without soil, it will take some time for the plant to adapt and grow normally.
3. Why does the ring stripping method (girdling) have a higher survival rate?
The structure of a branch mainly consists of two parts: the inner wood and the outer bark. Water and trace elements are absorbed from the roots and transported upwards through the inner wood channels, while the nutrients produced by the leaves through photosynthesis are transported downwards by the outer bark tissue. Girdling is about cutting off the channels that transport nutrients downwards, allowing nutrients to accumulate at the cut point, heal in advance, and produce connective tissue. When planted in soil, it avoids the risk of bacterial infection from the soil (infection starts from the outer bark), and with sufficient nutrients, sprouting is faster.
Theoretically, the longer the branch is stopped after girdling, the more nutrients it accumulates, but it should not be extended indefinitely. 1-3 weeks is the most suitable time for cutting and planting, because when the plant does not receive the nutrients transported downwards from the pruned branch for a long time, it will consider this branch as old or close to death, and reduce or stop providing water and other elements upwards, transferring them to elsewhere to accelerate the initiation of new buds, such as the lower part of the branch. Therefore, the stopping time after girdling should not be too long, otherwise the water and nutrients received will decrease, and photosynthesis and the initiation of new buds will consume a large amount of stored nutrients, resulting in a strong branch becoming weak.
4. Why do some people wrap mud after girdling?
Mud wrapping is a high-pressure propagation method.
Continuing the previous topic.
When the branch receives less and less nutrition from the roots, it must save itself. The wound has already grown healing tissue, and with a suitable environment, it can root and absorb what it needs. Moist soil is the ideal生根 environment.
Therefore, the high-pressure method is "cutting" on the tree, with a survival rate of up to 100%. The缺点 is that it is a small-scale繁殖 method suitable for home use and not for large-scale propagation in nurseries.
That concludes the introduction to the doubts and answers about the rose cutting process, for everyone to learn and understand!