Advice for Rose Cuttings

I took 3 cuttings from my rose Little White Pet last year, it was late summer/early autumn. They have been in this pot outside over winter and all 3 cuttings seem to have survived and have new buds/leaves.
I’m not sure what I’m meant to do now as I’ve never done this before? Can they be potted on individually or do they need to be left for longer?

 

I’d leave them for a bit longer until late Spring or the Summer the pot them on individually.

 

@CatDouch that's a good success rate! With roses I find a lot die off. You must have the proverbial green fingers

 

Thank you @Butterfly6 I’ll leave them for a bit, I’m always a bit impatient
I think it’s beginners luck @CarolineL I must admit I didn’t even think it would work at all!!

 

Rose cuttings tend to grow top growth first and then develop roots so I would be inclined to wait until the autumn before potting them on individually. They should be fine as long as you keep them watered throughout the summer.

 

Thanks @lizzie27 I wondered why you had to wait and you’ve explained why, thanks.

 

Hope you don't mind me hijacking your thread @CatDouch but we're at a similar stage to you with our first rose cuttings. We tried Lady Emma Hamilton and Arthur Bell and seem to have struck lucky (if you'll excuse the pun). I was wondering whether to tip them out and pot them on but now I know to leave them a while longer.

However I have another question which I'm sure will probably have already been answered elsewhere but here goes. Normally a rose's growth type will be shaped by the root-stock it's grafted onto but with cuttings of course this can't happen. So how do you predict how they will grow if you don't interfere? For example might our Lady Emma Hamilton become a climber?

 

Hi @LunarSea

I don't think that's true actually. The stock is only below the graft union, so for the most part it only accounts for the roots - it's not like with grafted fruit trees. So the stock shouldn't really affect the growth habit.

 

Right, thanks @CostasK - I think I was getting roses confused with fruit trees. Seems as though own-root roses might be better if you've got time to wait for them to grow.

 

It does seem that way, based on comments I read online.

Having said that, those comments primarily come from cold areas of the US, where there is more of a chance that the top part of the rose might die and for the stock rose to take over. I don't think it's a coincidence that in the UK, all David Austin roses are grafted. (I am a big fan of David Austin roses, so I know a bit more about them versus other roses). The process is much faster for David Austin than own root roses, but if the roses failed systematically, considering they offer a 5 year warranty on the them if bought directly, it would backfire.

Then again I don't know about longetivity i.e. if the life expectancy between grafted / own root differs.

I haven't heard any negatives regarding own root roses.

 

I find DA roses can take 2 to 3 years to settle and start to perform well and that some, like Lady Emma Hamilton and Munstead Wood never thrive. I also have a Geoff Hamilton whose named variety starts well every spring then struggles later on as the rootstock sends up more and more shoots and saps energy. Bizarre.

I now take cuttings 2 or 3 times a year in the hopes of getting a decent plant on its own roots. I have a Lark Ascending which is far bonnier now than its parent.

I do find cuttings will produce new shoots in spring but still be unrooted so I now leave them in their pots for the whole summer, up near the house so I can water as needed and I do eventually get good plants but not 100% success.

 

DA have now discontinued Lady Emma Hamilton, which is what prompted us to try taking cuttings. Maybe they too have become aware of its shortcomings. Ours was fantastic in its first year (aside from much black-spot) but was a bit disappointing last year.

 

I believe that is the reason indeed. She is said to have been very prone to disease (blackspot and rust) in UK weather. She is still available in some other countries, with different weather.

 

I have Lady Emma Hamilton in France and she is doing fine. My previous one at my old house did well too. I wish I'd taken her with me when I moved.

 

I asked a while ago about whether to pot on my Little White Pet rose cuttings and the advice was to leave them until the autumn.

I’ve now noticed flower buds appearing, should I leave these to flower or nip them off as I’m wondering whether the plants strength might be diverted from roots to flowers?