Tried rooting a rose cutting in plain water instead of soil...

I always thought you needed special potting mix and rooting hormone to get cuttings to take. Last month I just stuck a cutting from my neighbor's climbing rose into a jar of tap water on the windowsill. After 3 weeks I saw tiny white roots starting to form. I figured it would just rot or get slimy but it actually grew a whole root system in 6 weeks. Now I'm wondering if I've been overcomplicating this whole propagation thing for years. Has anyone else tried this method and had it work better than soil?

2 comments

2 Comments

anderson.spencer5d ago

Works fine for most roses, just change the water weekly!

jade475d ago

Throwing a little bit of apple cider vinegar in the water kept my cut roses going strong an extra week. Just a tablespoon or so per vase, nothing too wild. Changing the water regular like you said is the main thing though, that vinegar trick just gives a little boost.