Rustling roses: start new plants from roses you discover on your travels

Sunset, April, 2005 by Lauren Bonar Swezey

It may sound like a shady business, but it's one of the most satisfying--and innocent--practices a rose aficionado can follow. This kind of rustling involves taking stem cuttings from old roses in order to propagate new plants from them. In fact, horticultural societies organize rustling journeys to Mendocino, California, and other areas where historic plants abound. But you can do it anytime you find a stray gem growing along a country road or in a friend's garden. Just be sure you have permission before you snip plants, and do not attempt to propagate modern varieties that are protected by patents. Initially, the rose's name may be a mystery, but once it blooms, it's fun to try to identify it by the color and form of its flowers.

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The best time to take cuttings is during the softwood stage in spring or early summer, when stems are still green and pliable. Most types root easily, but a few may be more difficult (those with dense spines, for instance). Follow the steps at right and your rose should bloom within a year. Then you can move it into a larger container or transplant it into the garden.

RELATED ARTICLE: How to start your own roses

1. Take cuttings in the morning when it's cool. Choose a flexible stem about 1/4 inch in diameter with a spent flower on the end. Use pruning shears to cut a 10-inch stem (A). The stem should have four leaves with five leaflets. (If you can't plant immediately, wrap the cutting in a wet paper towel, place in a plastic bag, and keep cool or refrigerate.)

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2. Cut off the spent flower just above the topmost leaf and trim the bottom of the stem just below a leaf, so the section is about 6 inches long. Strip off all but two or three leaves. Dip the bottom inch of the stem in water, then in rooting hormone (B). Three forms are available: powder (such as Rootone); gel (Rootstock); and liquid (Dip-N-Grow).

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3. Fill 2- or 4-inch pots with soil, moisten thoroughly, and poke a planting hole in the center. Set the cutting about 2 inches deep in the prepared planting hole (C); if using the powder or gel form of rooting hormone, avoid brushing it off as you do this. Firm soil around the stem.

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4. Insert four 8-inch-long chopsticks or wood stakes into the soil at even intervals around the pot. Cover pot with a 1-gallon plastic bag (D). Place in bright, indirect light in an indoor location or outdoors if weather is mild. Keep soil moist. Roots form in 10 to 30 days (old leaves may drop). To test, gently pull on the stem; if there's resistance, roots have formed.

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5. Allow plants to continue growing until roots are well formed and several new leaves are fully developed. At that stage, shown above, remove the bag.

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