I have some dormant cuttings of a rose that has been rather reluctant to root for me. I know that budding is the norm for roses, but could these dormant cuttings be kept cool and moist as I do apple scions and then grafted to suitable rootstock using a cleft graft, or something similar when the stock is actively growing in the Spring (as I would for a fruit tree)? I would probably try to bury the graft union, because ideally I’d like these roses to eventually produce their own roots. Thanks!
Yes, as long as the wood is kept appropriately hydrated and sufficiently cool, it can be held until spring/summer for budding. That’s what is done for commercial budding. My theory is, they discovered being able to root roses while wrapped in damp paper when some bud wood was likely kept warmer than you would store bud wood and they callused and/or rooted.
See Chip Budding Roses onto Fortuniana Rootstock by Bob & Kitty Belendez - YouTube for winter budding options. I have tried this and it worked well. The stock does not even have to be rooted. You can do a stent by budding onto an understock cutting during winter and then wrapping the cutting as you would to callous it up and the bud will also callous and knit with the understock and stay that way until the weather warms again.
This is all good to know. The rose in question is Harrison’s Yellow, which I desire to have for sentimental reasons. For some reason I have found it difficult to root. I have access to cuttings, but not the many suckers which surround the original plant. Thanks again, Simon and Kim!
Chip budding sounds like a nice option. If you don’t have rootstock ready, but have some really easy to root R. multiflora or some other cultivar that is very easy to root, you can try stenting (making a graft and rooting at the same time). I like to do this sometimes during the summer on wood that is relatively firm. I typically use a whip and tongue graft because of how nicely it holds and there is a lot of vascular cambium matching. In the picture is a single bud with part of a leaf remaining of Above and Beyond rose grafted onto a thornless R. multiflora rootstock in mid summer. I potted it up as a cutting and put it under the mist bench and it rooted and healed at the same time.
‘Harison’s Yellow’ is sure hard to root… In years past I did some stents like what is pictured with some of the other yellow spin hybrids. Some took, but it was still hard. Perhaps grafting and then trying to root it as a hardwood cutting like people described on the forum with newspaper, etc. would get you the plants you want with the material you have now.
Good luck!!
The stenting may be a good way to go, David. Originally what I was thinking of was keeping the scions dormant as I do when grafting apples, persimmons, etc. then about the end of May when the rootstock is growing well, using a whip graft as you have illustrated, or something similar. Once I get one or two going, I can use a variety of methods to propagate them on their own roots…layering, air layering, etc? Thanks to all who have responded. I can now think of several options.