Starting Roses from Cuttings..

This is what's left of a huge bouquet of flowers that I received on Valentines day from hubby. I was just getting ready to toss them, when I noticed that 2 of the roses had sprouts on the stems. Now, I've NEVER seen this before on florist flowers.....and probably will never again, so I decided to root them and see if they'll grow.
Rooting is really simple...but only works on hard stem plants...such as the roses, lilacs, lavender..etc. Just always make sure you take a cutting from the old woody growth.

After cutting off the blossom , I cut just below the new sprout. Both cuts are at an angle for better water absorption.

I found 2 small custard cups to plant the roses in. The cups are small enough to put a sandwich bag over..and then to sit on the window ledge.

After cutting the stems, I dipped them in water, shook off the excess and swirled the wet stem in the root hormone. This I buy at any farm implement store, but I have seen it at Walmart as well.

I then pushed the stems into the moist potting soil, and taped down nice and firm. Give it a bit of a misting, not much. You don't want mold to grow. Cut a wooden skewer in two and push on either side of the stem. This will keep the bag from settling on the stem and will act as a terrarium.

Cut off the 'zip' part of your sandwich bags, and place over the your whole pot. You can tie some twine around the bottom if you'd like, But I like to keep mine open for a bit of fresh air. Only mist the stem when it's dry. With the bag over it, it should produce enough water to keep itself going, but if you see that it's to wet, uncover the pot for awhile.

You can keep it on the windowsill, or on a table on the south side of your house.

After about 4 weeks, you can check to see if roots are growing by very gently tugging on the stem. If there's resistance, you have roots! After about 2-3 months, I'd transplant the rose into a larger container and over winter till Spring which is the best planting time for roses.

Have fun....look around this Spring and see what you can start. It's a great cheap way of adding plants to your gardens. :o)

Good Luck!