October: Time to Propagate Roses!

October is the month for rose bush propagation. And helping rose bushes multiply is easy. Look for a cane of goodly diameter, large enough that you will be able to push it or hammer it into the soil without the stem breaking, and yank the stem from the bush with enough violence that you pull a strip of bark from the mother branch. 

Flat cut the branch 4-5 inches above the tear (being certain to leave 2-3 stem segments between top and bottom).

Poke the branch, rip end down, into the earth. If need be, gently hammer the flat top of the stem to help the sinking.

(If the earth is hard, place a gallon plastic jug of water over the spot where you want to sink the stem. Make a small hole in the bottom of the jug and allow the water to seep into the earth and soften it).

Push the stem into the earth so that the earth remains compact around the stem (that is, do not dig a whole or poke a hole with a tool). 

Walk away. Forget about the bush-to-be until spring. 

While you have forgotten, the stem will summon energy to repair the damage and part of the energy will go to root creation. 

After a spell of warm days in the spring you should notice some growth beginning and the growth will continue until you have a nice new bush. 

If you do not see growth in the spring then you failed. Better luck next time.

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