Propagating Mini Roses

This morning while watering the plants, I noticed that I have already accumulated mini roses, about 16 pots of them not counting the cuttings that are still developing. 

I have not thought about them  until I saw that the flowers attract a lot of butterflies and bumblebees which added color and movement to our small garden.

About a year ago, I bought four of them, one for each color: yellow, red, pink, and white.  As they grow and became bushy, I trimmed them and planted the cuttings indiscriminately in plastic pots. Some survived, which I transferred to terracotta pots, while many died. So, I realized that I need to have a system in doing this so that the probability of survival will improve.

Anyway, here are tips on how to propagate mini roses based from my own experience.  

In the pictures, the flowers are already drying up. According to my mother this is the best part for planting and this is true from experience. Also because the cutting is taken from the part that has already flowered, the established plant will flower early. 




The stem must also be mature enough. To know this, check the texture, feel it and bend it a little, if it's too  soft and fleshy, it's too young and may not develop, if it's resisting and woody, it's well suited for the purpose.

Another thing is that once the flower dries up, the pulpy part of the stem, about two inches,  from which it is attached also dries up. To make allowances,  cut the stem about five to six inches from the flower

Make a sharp cut about 45 degrees at the base of the cutting. 

I don't know if rooting hormones is available here, but I don't use one. I dip the tip in water before planting, that's what I do (and sometimes I don't but still it lives and grows).

Remove the leaves but retain the petiole. Petiole is the stalk that attaches the leaf to the stem. Do not cut this off because this is where the new leaves will sprout. 

The removal of the leaves will prevent transpiration or the loss of moisture by evaporation through the leaves.

These are some of the cuttings I planted about two weeks ago. Notice the dried flowers and the stem, remember what my mother told me about this being the best part for planting. This one is already sprouting leaves. This is why the petioles must not be removed. 

This is now a established plant and after a month or so, it will be ready for transfer to a proper pot.


Be careful when watering.

Direct pouring of water or sprinkling can cause movement in the soil or to the cuttings that may stress and kill them.  Spraying water is better.

Place the cuttings in a shaded area. I noticed that if placed with other plants, the chances of rooting and developing improved dramatically. There is nothing mysterious about it, it's the humidity. 

Propagation by cutting requires a lot of humidity. A simple method of providing the needed humidity is wrapping the cuttings in plastic bag until leaf buds develop. But in this case.this is not necessary.

By the way, there is no such a thing as a green thumb. The truth is its all about thinking like a plant (Remember Sensei Miyagi's words: Think Tree). By thinking like a plant, it becomes easy to understand their characteristics and their needs. Or better yet, research and read about the plants you are tending. There's Google, you know.

Truth to tell, I have killed many plants, but the important thing is to figure out how and why they died.