Propagate Roses by Budding
Make Exact Copies of Favorite Roses
Budding is a term rosarians use when a portion of one plant is grafted onto the rootstock of another rose plant -- as opposed to growing on the original plant's roots.This has been a fairly popular way of propagating roses, especially among commercial growers. You may be wondering why. Many commercial growers believe that roses just grow better using this method. First, the plants themselves take less time to establish their root systems. And the growers enjoy a larger percent of roses thriving on the rootstock than they do with roses on their original stock. The growers simply take the canes (or branches) from the one rose plant, cut off the bud eye at the junction of the cane and leaflet and then insert it under the bark of the cane of a rootstock plant. A simple, uncomplicated operation. When the canes and foliage above the bud are cut off, all the plant's energy is then focused toward making the newly budded eye grow. Bud eyes from the desired variety have all the genetic material to create a new plant that's identical to the original. The point at which the bud is inserted into the bark of the rootstock plant is called the bud union. On mature plants, the bud union looks very similar to a knob. As the plant grows in your garden, though, new, large canes grow from directly above this bud union. In colder climates, the bud union is the portion of the plant that's most important to the plant's survival during the harsh, winter months. Plant the bud union several inches below the ground and then protect it by covering it with a mound of soil. "God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December." James Matthew Barrie, Scottish dramatist and novelist, creator of Peter Pan (1860-1937). Enjoy this short video about budding. It's less than a minute long. From Rose Budding to Roses
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