How to Grow Roses at Home

Scientific Name: Rosa rubiginosa

Family: Rosaceae

Roses are among the most popular perennial shrubs commonly grown for their beautiful flowers. According to different varieties and climatic conditions roses differ in various shapes, sizes, and colors and also have a delightful fragrance. Mostly all rose varieties have sharp thorns. You can choose any varieties to grow at your home as per your choice and the climatic condition of your area. If you are a beginner then it may be a little difficult for you because rose plants require regular pruning and maintenance for better growth and flowering.

In this article, I will tell you how to grow roses at home from seeds and cuttings easily and how to maintain your rose plants.

Different Classes of Rose

There are different classes of rose available. Among them, six types of roses are mostly grown in our gardens.

The Hybrid Tea: These are long-flowered types. Normally one single flower is borne on a long stem.

The Floribunda: In this type, the flowers are found in clusters, not as single flowers like the hybrid tea.

The Dwarf Polyantha: They produce enormous clusters of small flowers and bloom for several months. Some valuable roses are present in this group which can be easily grown in pots and beds.

The Miniatures: This type is very popular and mostly grown from cuttings. They have small leaves and flowers which look awesome.

The Rambler: These also grow in clusters and have only one flush in a year which lasts for several weeks.

The Climbers: There are various types of climbers where the flowers come singly or twos or threes. The flowering may continue over the season.

Propagation Methods

Rose plants are propagated through various methods but in this article, we will discuss the two most popular methods which are practiced commercially all over the world. The first one is using seeds and another method is using cuttings.

How to Grow Roses from Seeds

1. Growing Roses from Harvested Seeds at Home

• Leave the flowers on the plant till they wither and become small fruits called rose hips.
• Collect rose hips when they start ripening and changing color into red, brown, or purple.
• Cut the rose hips with a knife and collect the seeds inside.
• Wash the seeds using a mesh sieve to remove the pulp left on them.
• To prevent fungus growth you can soak the seeds in diluted hydrogen peroxide.
• Place the rose seeds between two layers of damp paper towel and put them in a plastic bag.
• Place the plastic bag of seeds in an empty drawer of the refrigerator for a stratification period of up to two months.
• Keep the seeds moist by adding a few drops of clean water throughout the entire stratification process. 
• Withdraw the seeds from the refrigerator when the whole process is complete and the outside temperature is between 15°C to 20°C.
• Place the seeds in a seed tray or any other ideal place for germination using well-drained soil.
• When the sprouting begins and reaches the ideal stage for transplanting, you can move them to separate containers or an open garden.

2. Growing Roses from Store-Bought Seeds

If you are a beginner then growing rose plant from seeds that purchase from a commercial retailer is ideal for you. Because in that case the seeds are already gone through the tough stratification process and also ensure a higher germination percentage than own harvested seeds at home.

Further, the germination and transplanting process is the same as harvested seeds at home.

How to Grow Roses from Cuttings

You can grow rose plants from seeds but growing roses from cutting are the easiest way to reproduce your favorite varieties. The ideal season for rooting a stem cutting is late winter or early spring when the atmospheric temperature is between 15°C to 25°C. The whole process is very simple and you can achieve your goal with some simple stapes.

• Select a new growth stem that is 8 to 10 inches long with at least four to five nods, and cut it from the plant at a 45° angle using ideal gardening tools like a knife, pruners, or scissors.
• Remove all the flowers, buds, and leaves except the top two sets of leaves from the stem.
• Place the cutting in a container of water immediately to keep the cut stem hydrated.
• Slice the bottom end of the cutting just below a stem node using a sharp knife or pruning shears to encourage the rooting.
• For the best result, you can use the rooting hormone at the end of the cutting for developing new roots quickly.
• Plant the cutting in a container or pot filled with potting soil and place it in a location with indirect sunlight.
• Water the pot thoroughly and cover it with a thin plastic bag to prevent moisture loss, but don’t tie the bag for required airflow to prevent fungus growth.
• Keep checking if the roots are getting established by gently tugging on the stem. It may take about four to six weeks.
• You can transplant the cutting in your garden when the roots are firmly established and new leaves have begun to grow.

How to Take Care of Rose Plant

• Allow the rose plant to get at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight preferably morning sun per day.
• Rose plants require a lot of water. The soil must be moist throughout the growing season. Watering every next day is ideal for rose plants but it completely depends on your area’s soil type and climatic conditions.
• Apply mulch to retain the moisture content of the soil and also to prevent weed growth.
• Deadhead the blooms whenever they become faded to encourage the plant to produce more blooms not rose hips.
• Apply fertilizers regularly to improve the growth of plants and better blooming. You can apply organic compost or manure every month, or particular rose fertilizers as per the recommendation.
• Prun your rose plants as per the recommendation because some varieties require more pruning but some varieties prefer less pruning. Pruning rose plants during the early growing season encourages new foliage and blossom production.
• There are some serious insect pests like Red scale, Thrips, Aphids, White fly, etc which can affect the rose plant and make it difficult to grow it successfully. Use recommended insecticides timely to protect your plants.
• Also, some diseases are there like Powdery mildew, Die-back, Rust, Black spot of rose, etc which are very common to attack your rose plant. You can control them with some cultural practice and also using recommended fungicides.

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