How to Propagate Roses with Potatoes
Are you looking for a simple way to reproduce your favorite roses?
Would you love to be able to gift your roses?
Propagation of a plant is the process of creating new plants from a variety of different plant sources. Believe it or not, you can use a potato to propagate roses. Today, we would like to offer you a simple how-to on using potatoes to propagate your roses.
Words like easy and simple don’t often come up when you are trying to propagate something. However, in this article I will use both of those words to describe using potatoes to propagate roses. Let’s take a look a how to do just that.
Simple and Easy Tips to Propagate Roses with Potatoes
- Using a 45 degree angle to cut, cut a rose stem at about 9 inches from the rose bush. Chose a stem that has the thickness of a pencil.
- Cut off the rose bud, right below it. Then cut off the additional leaves and thorns.
- It is best to use about a medium sized flower pot and fill it up with potting soil. Add a little water, just enough to dampen the soil.
- Using a screwdriver, take a peeled Irish potato and dig out a 3-inch deep hole. Make sure the hole is the same diameter as the stem.
- Use a rooting compound on the stem and then place the stem into the potato hole you previously created.
- Then, simply dig out a potato-sized hole in the soil of your pot. Set the potato (complete with the rose stem in it) in to the soil and cover up the entire potato leaving only the stem visible.
- Using an clean and empty pop bottle, surround the stem with the bottle. Dig the bottle into the soil. This will create a greenhouse like affect.
- Bring the pot into an warm area that doesn’t receive any direct sun light. You can remove the bottle for a few minutes everyday but be careful with the stem until you see new growth. Remember to keep the soil moist.
- When you see new growth forming, lightly pull on it. If you feel resistance, the roots have developed. You can remove the pop bottle and relocate the bottle to a location with more direct sun light.
- The San Francisco Gate recommends,“Harden off the cutting, by gradually exposing it to outdoor temperatures, starting with a few hours each day in a sheltered location with plenty of light but no direct sun. Keep the soil moist.”
- One week after hardening, transplant the rose back into your garden.
There you have it, a simple and easy way to propagate roses. If you are looking to give the rose as a gift, you can simply give it away once you’ve removed the pop bottle, but don’t forget to give them the rest of the instructions.
What would you like to propagate in your garden? Please let us know in the comment section below.
