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Softwood rose cutting over Winter
Earlier this Summer I took a softwood rose cutting which now has lots of new growth on it & is doing well. I recently planted it into the ground, so far so good.
Can anybody advise me if there’s anything I can do to protect the young cutting over winter? Would it need a little pruning in late winter like a fully established rose would?
Can anybody advise me if there’s anything I can do to protect the young cutting over winter? Would it need a little pruning in late winter like a fully established rose would?
All the cuttings advice I can find seem to stop once you’ve taken the cuttings & planted them but doesn’t tell you what to do next!
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Firstly I leave them to harden off right up until the day before the first hard ground frost is forecast. I then clear away any leaves that may have dropped off due to the colder temperature, and any other debris from around the base of the young plants.
Then I use garden soil to build a 6-10 inch mound around the stem (depending on the height of the plant). This gives the roots that extra layer of protection.
Finally, I use chicken wire to form a cylinder around the plant and fill it with dry leaves, ensuring that the plant is completely covered, and I cover the top with a piece of polycarbonate sheeting and half a brick, or a rock.
It's repeated freezing and thawing out which tends to cause fatalities, so this gives just enough protection until the spring when the soil begins to warm up and plant growth resumes.