"P Alves" alves###paulo@gmail#com wrote in message
...
Hi,

Nice to see a forum dedicated to roses!!!

I just planted my first roses. Some I bought rooted (bare or with
soil) and they seem to be fine. But I also planted a few (quite a
lot to be honest!) cuttings that someone passed to me. The sucees
rate of the cuttings seems to be around 40% and lets hope it does
not drop.

Congrats on your new passion. It's addictive.
I've had similar success with cuttings, so you're
doing well for a newbie.

I heard that cuttings are not the best way to propagate roses
because they tend to degenerate and not look like its parent. Is
this true?

It really depends on the variety. Minis and
old garden roses, which grow on own roots
anyway, don't have that problem. Some
moderns can be propagated from cuttings,
others not. You just have to try and see
what happens.

If the
problem is there but not very severe (i am not going to be in
official competitions!) is there any way of improving success rate?
What is the best way to propagate those roses that you really love?

First, understand that most modern roses
are patented, which means you're not
supposed to propagate them. That said, I'm
not the rose police, and what you do in
your own yard is your business, not mine.
I'm just mentioning it.

Second, cuttings are very quick to dry
out. Whenever I've propagated by
cuttings I've kept the "babies" in partial
shade and spritzed them with water. Some
people make a plastic tent to keep them
damp. Check out articles on propagation
at the American Rose Society web site:
www.ars.org

You're in an even hotter zone than I am,
so keeping the cuttings from drying out is
a priority.

Third, patience is the key. I've kept
some cuttings in pots for a year before
planting in the ground, other cuttings
got planted within about 3 months. Again,
it depends on the variety.

I think grafting is a good solution, but I do not think I have the
skills ) but I can learn!

Solution to...?? Roses aren't that
expensive, considering how they long
they can live.

Thanks! I might be a newbie in planting roses, but not in loving
them!

P
Zone 9.

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8