Thursday, March 28, 2013

Accidental Propagation of 48 roses

I don't believe it but I accidentally propagated 48 rose cuttings...How you might ask...you won't believe it...
Weeks ago I pruned a bunch of roses...I want to say January.  I threw all the cuttings into a bucket..for weeks it had been used as a door stop for the greenhouse door.  It has rained a few times since then.  It also has froze a few times.

While opening up the greenhouse this morning, I looked inside the bucket and noticed leaves....

The rain water had gathered in the bucket and the cuttings began growing.  So I dumped the bucket.

They smelled horrible but sure enough there were leaves.

Lots and lots of leaves...OMG   I have tried soo hard to make cuttings work and I have been successful three times....

 They smelled like old fish so I gave them a bath..



They were very slimy...these may not live but I am inclined to think some will.


In the spirit of quit trying so hard I cleaned them off and cut the obvious dead growth

Got pots ready

I did not cut the tips....I let them alone but I did put a touch of root hormone on them.

This is my last failed attempt with cuttings...

This is my failed attempt at seeds



They were very slimy  and really stinky..probably needed to use bleach but I said , No...just put them in dirt...

I did have some success with cuttings

This is obvious new growth...still can't get over it...maybe next time I'll put the cuttings in water......

My husband covering the new irrigation system.

5 comments:

Jean Campbell said...

It's so hard to throw away rose prunings. Sometimes they take, sometimes not. The urge to stick cuttings is strong, even when one doesn't need them.

HolleyGarden said...

Wahoo! And now you've got 48 more plants! Great experiment!

Cerberus German shepherds said...

@Holley, not this time. I am stress testing these..yes, it would be nice to have 48 more, but give the circumstances they are in the greenhouse and enduring 120 degree heat....so I am making the "strongest of the fittest" if the cuttings can endure it..those are great cutting...now to figure out what they are will be the next test...but I am being selective...most are surviving but they do hate the heat..remember they were buried in a bucket...

@Nell..it really didn't occur to me that I could propagate...

Connie in Hartwood said...

Crossing my fingers that some of your cuttings grow roots to support their new leaves ... sometimes happy accidents are the best way to do things.

Cerberus German shepherds said...

@Hartwood...I am not babying them as I would normally do..I am starting to have my hands full...so these are being stress tested...the ones that live...should have not problem living in the heat of the summer if they can stand the greenhouse...probably a mistake on my part..but I learn through mistakes....I do think it so ironic that they grew in the garbage pail.