Always cut roses one inch above a five-leafed cluster and cut them on an angle to promote lasting blooms.
Starting New Rosebushes
If you have a favorite rose, you don’t have to buy a second bush in order to have more than one in your yard. Start a bush yourself. It’s easy and economical to propagate your own roses. Here’s how:
Select a shoot of new growth with a bud.
Make an angled cut, leaving the bud just above it.
Remove buds and leaves.
Place the cut piece in water that comes up half of its length. If you wish, add rooting compound to the water, though it isn’t necessary. However, it will speed up the process.
Place the container in an area where temperatures will stay around seventy degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure the new growth has sufficient light.
Leave for a month or six weeks, being sure that the water level is maintained.
Protect the shoot from direct light with a piece of cheesecloth or sheer fabric. The new growth can also be set close to a window with a sheer curtain. Direct sunlight is too harsh for new growth.
When roots are developed, carefully plant in a pot. Use half compost and half sand that is well mixed. Do not use potting soil.
Place the pots with the new rosebushes in the ground in an area that is well sheltered and water frequently. Do not allow the roots to get too wet, but they must have sufficient water to aid growth.
When the plants are lush and growing well, remove them from the pots and transplant into the ground in a sheltered location that gets six hours of morning sunlight daily.
Insects
Aphids
Aphids love roses. They are small greenish-yellow, brown or red insects that have a slightly pear-shaped body. These insects group on the tips of shoots, the underside of leaves and on rosebuds, where they feed on juices. This disfigures leaves and causes poor growth. To kill aphids, spray with an insecticide containing malathion, or make your own homemade concoction. (Instructions included below.)