If you know how to graft roses, you can achieve two different flower colors on the same bush. Roses are among the easiest plants to graft, and most bushes are the product of grafting a specific color or type of rose onto a stronger and healthier one. Through grafting, you can also acquire the petal color of an unhealthy plant using a healthy one as the rootstock. The stem of the rose you want to graft onto a different color is called a scion.
Best Time of Year to Graft
The first thing to consider when deciding to graft a rose or experiment with them at home is the time of year. It’s recommended to do this primarily in the summer when the sap runs vigorously throughout the plant. You can also do it if you observe that they grow rapidly and appear fresh and radiant. Now, pay close attention, and we’ll begin the grafting step-by-step.
Step 1
Clean the knife you intend to use for cutting the scions with cleaning alcohol. This will help prevent the spread of disease during transplantation.
Step 2
Cut some stems from the rose bush you wish to combine with others. This is called collecting cuttings. Cut a section of the stem that contains three buds. Trim the piece from the top of the bottom bud and measure two buds, where you should make another cut above the third one.
Step 3
Using a utility knife, carve a “V” shape at the bottom end of the scion.
Step 4
Choose one of the woody stems from the rose plant you want to use as a base. This should be a biennial plant strain. Using new growths won’t work. Trim the top of the stem and make a one-centimeter-deep cut in the middle of the stem.
Step 5
Insert the scion into the cut you made on the rootstock’s trunk. Tightly wrap the graft with adhesive tape. The graft should take between four to six weeks to settle. Repeat these steps to add more grafts to the rootstock plant. The new rose colors will grow only on the grafted stems.
Post-transplant Care
- Water grafted plants abundantly and frequently, aiming to keep the soil constantly moist for the first 15 days.
- It’s recommended to trim the first shoots from the stem until the plant stabilizes, about the first 2 or 4 shoots, to aid the graft’s consolidation.
- Remove the tape on its own when the graft starts to grow.
- Care should be taken to ensure they are supplied with a substrate of smoke and compost.
- Roses generally require space, air, and sunlight to thrive.
Now that you’re informed, there’s no excuse not to graft and obtain beautifully colored roses.