Attempted to take a rose cutting...is this totally wrong?

Hi,

I've attempted to take my first rose cutting a few days ago but I'm not sure If I need to remove most of the leaves? I took this from one of the new side shoots that had been growing near the top of the plant over the last few weeks.

 

Hi Phil

You want to take one long growth from the very bottom and cut them into equal sizes. Flat cut at the bottom, diagonal at the top. Strip it with no leaves. A great video here.

 

@Scotty2088 I just deleted my post I saw the video and thought I'd double posted had exactly the same video.

 

The basic of cuttings is to understand what you are doing, the more top growth, the harder the cutting has to work, it has to keep the top growth going, but produce new roots, its an equal balance of maintaining, and reproducing, the more leaf on top, the less roots are formed, however the more nutrients in the soil, the more maintainance of the top growth the plant put its energy.
Plants do not have feelings asxwe understand, all they want to do, is get as big as possible in the right conditions, and produce as much flower as possible to reproduce, thats its only intrest as we understand.
If you reproduce certain favourable conditions, known as forcing, you can excellerate the plants processes by giving it favourable conditions. For rooting, you need base heat, usually over 14 degrees C, a low nutrient compost like a seed and cutting compost, the reason is, if there is too many nutrients, the plant does not concerntrate on making roots, it cobcerntrates on maintaining the top growth to produce flower, therfore producing seed, in order to replicate. So removing top growth to minimal, and using a low nutient soil, the plant goes into survial mode, and the roots go looking for the nutrients, therefore they use what energy they have to create roots to find more nutrients. This is why the tap root is the strongest root. Once the big rootball is formed, we prick out, and plant in a high nutrient soil, little top growth, lots of roots, lots of nutrients, the plant thrives, and grows over night. The more nitrogon, the more green growth, the more potassium, the more flowers and fruit. Plants respond to whats available, when you understand their needs, you can manipulate the way they grow. Sorry if this seems basic, but ive had a few beers.

 

I would take off the bigger, older leaves,am tht the bottom of the cutting. Actually normally I "reduce" them - so cut the bottom leaves in half, or take 2/3rds off. As Roses have multi-leaf ... ermmm ... leaves! you could just take off the 4 nearest the tip and leave the two nearest the main stem;or even cut them in half. That leaf reduction is to reduce the amount of transpiration the plant is doing - sucking up water, and evaporating / "breathing it out" it from the leaves - without roots a cutting can't, yet, do much Sucking Up

I'm a bit sceptical that Spring is a good time for Rose cuttings ... but i'll be happy to be corrected on that.

 

I find myself with a bit of time this evening, to have another few beers , so if your up for it Armandii, you are welcome to join me, on the decking looking at the top of the glasshouses with the bottom tip of the Cotswolds, and the hills around Bath as the veiw. I'll fire up the bbq, drop on a few steaks, mix a bit of salad, with stilton in it. Cider, Real ale, or coffee from a bean to cup machine, or tea, will be the only choice you will have to make, unless you want to bring a bottle of something. Steaks at 6pm.