July 26, 2019 Propagating Roses, RH Shumway, Aven Nelson, Ruth Pitter, The Rude Potato, How to Garden Through Dog Days, and Winthrop Mackworth Praed

Subscribe

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart

Support The Daily Gardener

Buy Me A Coffee 

Connect for FREE!

The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community

Monologue

Have you tried propagating roses from cuttings?

Maybe you want to pass along an old rose from a friend or make more of your own.

You can take a cutting, also called a slip, from your rose.

When selecting the right stem, I look for a long, young shoot.

These new shoots are about the diameter of a pencil and have grown from spots I have pruned earlier in the year, which is another benefit of pruning.

Now, these shoots are pretty easy to spot; they are usually a little lighter in color and super vigorous.

Anyway, you want to cut one long shoot down low and then make your hardwood slips from that one long shoot.

If you look at the long stem you just cut, you’ll notice that, at the top, the stem is pliable, meaning you can bend it quite easily. But as you go further down the stem, you’ll begin to notice that the soft pliability goes away, and all you’re left with is what we call hardwood.

That’s where you will take your cuttings.

From one long stem, I can usually get three or four 5 to 7-inch cuttings.

So, bottom line: Don’t take your cutting from a bendable stem.

Now, when you make your slips, use something sharp – a knife or a pruner.

For the bottom of the cutting, cut straight across - right below a bud (where the leads to connect to the stem.)

For the top of your slip, cut at an angle - right above a bud.

Using those bud connection points as guides for cutting is essential because this is where loads of non-determinant cells like to hang out.

That means the plants can use them to form roots or shoots, depending on what they need to survive. Pretty cool, huh?

Then, I strip the leaves off from the lower 4 inches of the stem, leaving only one or two leaf clusters at the tip.

Next, I trim some of the bark from the bottom inch or so of the cutting, making it slightly squarish (like a mint stem), and then I dip that into rooting powder.

Finally, place the bottom 3-4 inches of the cutting into well-drained potting soil in the ground, and cover the slip with a mason jar.

Botanical History On This Day

1842 R. H. Shumway, the indefatigable Illinois seedsman, was born. His mail-order empire promised “Good Seeds Cheap” and ensured that even the poorest planters could sow with confidence.

1899 Aven Nelson started his Yellowstone Expedition, a grueling 14-week botanical survey that yielded tens of thousands of specimens and laid the foundation for the Rocky Mountain Herbarium.

Unearthed Words

Sweat, soil, and stubborn perseverance define midsummer labor in Unearthed Words for July 26, featuring Ruth Pitter’s poetic tribute to gardeners who hoe on beneath a brazen sky.

Grow That Garden Library™

Read The Daily Gardener’s review of The Rude Potato by Ruth Pitter

Buy the book on Amazon: The Rude Potato by Ruth Pitter

Today's Botanic Spark

1807 Winthrop Mackworth Praed, a poet of wit and warmth, was born. He was a poet of wit and warmth who remembered July’s glow even as his own life proved heartbreakingly brief.

Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener

And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.