What is the best rooting hormone for roses & hibiscus

I know there is a lot of gardeners that have greenhouses & I would like to know what is the best rooting hormone for
rose & hibiscus cuttings.

What is the best time to take cuttings, I want them to be ready for the Iowa Roundup next May because I will have to keep them inthe basement under grow lites until spring.

Rebel.
You can take willow branches and steep them in water for a week or so. Use that as rooting hormone. Or buy some- I don't know if it really matters which you use.

I just put mine in a glass of water or in a wet pot of soil.
I take cuttings year round.

I've used Rootone. Willow branches work great, though.

Thanks: I have never tried willow branches so this will be
something new.

Rebel888

You don't have to keep rose cuttings in the house over winter. Last year was my first experience with rooting things. We smashed the willow stems and leaves, added water and soaked the 'prepared' rose bush stems in it. After a day I planted them out in a sheltered area, covered each stem with a plastic soda bottle (bottom cut out and lid off), and mulched the bed with leaves almost to the top of the bottles. This spring I was greeted by green leaves on 10 of the 14 stems!

That's GREAT to know! I think I will try rooting cuttings of my climbing rose that way.

WAIT!!!

I don't understand- sorry...you soaked the rose cuttings in smashed willows?

Can you explain your rose cuttings step by step please? Thanks.

Yes, you smash the willow cuttings and leaves and put them in water along with the rose cuttings. A step-by-step might be a helpful, Rosiesplace -- are ya game? :)

Yes Puleeze!

Sorry I have never heard of that! I knew that willows were easy to root but not to root roses.

Are they like a natural superforcegonnamakeroots rootone?

Are y'all talking about weeping willows?

Willow water is made by soaking willow stems in water for a couple of days. Then soak the ends of your rose stems in the water for a day and plant. The theory is that willows contain a large amount of natural rooting hormone - that's why you can stick a willow branch in the ground and get a tree. This is an old method and does work, but you get almost the same results from sticking the stems in sandy soil, covering with either a mayonaise jar or a plastic pop bottle and keeping moist and mulched. They will survive quite nicely outdoors over winter here in zone 5. I had some lovely cuttings going until the calf stomped on the one I was sending to a friend!

This year I'm trying a gel rooting hormone - I got it from Lee Valley - and it stays with the stem rather than brushing off like the powder does. The gel is also supposed to facillitate the hardening over of the stem end, which is necessary for the formation of roots.

There are a couple of threads over in the rose forum that have a lot of info and links to various sites.

Here's a very detailed site about it: http://www.texas-rose-rustlers.com/willow.htm

I root hibiscus in plain water without any hormone. Roses I don't know about.

By golly she did post! (Rosiesplace, that is ;O )

Under controlled experiments, it has been demonstrated that using both willow water and rooting hormone (liquid or powder) together results in rooting occurring faster and more easily than using one or the other, or neither. For those of us who live by the thought that if one is great, then 5 must be better, being able to propagate is absolutely essential.

Any kind of willow works, as long as it is a true willow (Salix genus). I have successfully used regular willow trees, weeping willow, pussy willow. I guess tomorrow Rosiesplace and I will experiment using some of her Japanese willow? Or maybe her DH will get his wish and we will use (up) her pussy willow?

About smashing the willow branches: mangling the wood makes them more readily give off their rooting hormone into the water. You can either mash them with a hammer (watch your thumb!) or mangle them with clippers or scissors.

Hey, Kathy! :)

We have a variegated willow, 'Hikuru Nishiki' and that's what I always use. It's so handy, and there's never any lack of extra sprigs I can clip off.

Thank you everyone
for all of the
information on
cutting,I see this
is helping others
& this year I will
be taking cutting
from roses &
hibiscus.

I have grown roses
& hibiscus from seed
but that takes a lot
of time.

You will never find
A better group of
people anywhere then
you have here at
Dave's.

A lot of towns have
garden clubs & they
recieve a newsletter
once a month & here
at Dave's we get one
every day so this is
great for finding
plants & meeting new
people.
Rebel888

Another gardener who grows roses from seed!!!! What kind of roses??? (I am a very amateur rose hybridizer -- I mostly am working with OGRs and species) I would love to hear what you are doing.

Kathy

Kathy. I used to cross
Hybridize most any roses
except tropicana & it
don't work with this one,
I think there are others
that might not work but I
havn't run across them yet.

You can let Mother nature
cross them for you & don't
cut off the old flower & in
the fall pick the hips, let
the seeds dry then plant
them in the early spring
under light.

Thanks Georgiaredclay for
the info on the hibiscus
in water,
I had a branch brake off of
my white hardy hibiscus a
few days ago & the leaves
started to turn brown so I
cut it in 3 pieces,cut a
strip off each side near
the bottom & put them in
water & they are starting
to grow new leaves.

BUMP
I think since a lot of people take cuttings in spring this might come in helpful.

I also would like to see how many of you who startet roses this way had success ? are the roses still alive ?