Have you ever tried cloning rose bushes? If you have with out success, here is a simple tip that will get you started on your way. I took a clipping from a rose bush and put it in some good potting soil mixed with some peat moss. New growth has worked best. This will be the thinner stems that have not developed the wood-like look and feel yet.
Take the bottom leaves off your cutting and dip in some rooting hormone. Put the clone in a pot with good drainage. The water will come out fast from the bottom. Once it is drained off for the most part, set your pot in something like a small bird bath to collect the remaining water. Leave the remaining water in the bird bath to keep your soil moist.
About every three to four days pick up your pot and water from the top well. Reason being is to shower out any build up that it may be getting that is should not have such as mildew, sour dirt, etc.
Clean out your bird bath well. Replace the pot again leaving a small amount of water in the bottom. If you continuously do this every few days, you will be cleaning any fungus the rose should not get.
It is best if you put your clone in the shade if you have extreme heat. Also this process can be used with out a rooting hormone, but a root starter may produce roots faster.
In about 5 yo 6 weeks your rose bush is well on it's way to transplant.
The best time to transplant is when there is a lot of moisture in the air, or when you are getting a few days rain at a time. Cloning works better out side than indoors.
Once rose bushes are well established, they don't like their roots wet at all times. In some cases it causes mold, and causes bloom reduction. Putting banana peals under the dirt when planting, or just under the dirt for a well established plant helps fight disease.
To cut cost on blooming products, try using blood from your hamburger or roast beef, mix with water and apply it to the roots. It is a great help for flower production.
If you purchase a rose bush from a garden center, it is recommended to soak the roots in a mild solution of bleach water overnight before planting. This helps to kill off any mold or fungus that may have been accumulated while shipping in the trucks.
I wish you great cloning success.
Source: My own first hand experience. I have done postings on some of this info. But not all together like this.
