Plant Care
›
Propagation
›
Peggy Martin Rose
Rosa 'Peggy Martin'
Reviewed by Kiersten Rankel M.S.
QUICK ANSWER
Softwood cuttings taken in late spring root in 4 to 6 weeks under high humidity and give you a flowering plant in the same season.
Hardwood cuttings collected in late winter root over the following spring at 50 to 70 percent success without much fuss. Ground layering a long flexible cane gives the highest success rate of all and produces a rooted division in 8 to 12 weeks.
Hardwood cuttings collected in late winter root over the following spring at 50 to 70 percent success without much fuss. Ground layering a long flexible cane gives the highest success rate of all and produces a rooted division in 8 to 12 weeks.
Stay on top of plant care
Get seasonal reminders for watering and fertilizing, personalized for your plants.
Try Greg Free
Pick your method
Tap one to jump to the walkthrough.
Ground layering
Best when you can pin a long cane to the soil
Softwood cuttings
Best in late spring when new canes are still flexible
Hardwood cuttings
Best in late winter while the plant is dormant
Ground layering
Time
8–12 weeks
Level
Beginner
Success rate
High
You'll need
Established Peggy Martin with a long flexible cane
Sharp knife
Rooting hormone (recommended)
Wire pin or a brick
Compost-amended soil
Mulch and a watering can
1
Choose a flexible cane in early spring
Pick a 1 to 2 year old cane long enough to bend down to the ground. Peggy Martin throws very long canes so you usually have several to choose from. Avoid old gray-barked canes, they root poorly.
2
Wound the cane underside
About 18 inches back from the tip, scrape a 2 inch strip of bark from the underside with a sharp knife. Dust the wound with rooting hormone.
The wound is what triggers rooting. An unwounded cane just keeps growing along the ground.
The wound is what triggers rooting. An unwounded cane just keeps growing along the ground.
3
Pin the cane into a shallow trench
Dig a 4 inch deep trench under the wound. Lay the wounded section in the trench and pin it down with a wire staple or a brick. Bend the tip upward so 6 to 8 inches of leafy growth stays above ground.
4
Cover and mulch
Backfill with compost-amended soil and add 2 inches of mulch. Water deeply to settle the soil around the buried section. Keep moist for the next 2 months.
5
Check for roots at week 10
Gently scrape soil away from the buried section. Roots running from the wound mean the layer is ready to sever. No roots, leave it for another month.
6
Sever and pot up the rooted layer
Cut the layered cane free between the roots and the parent. Lift the rooted section with as much soil as possible. Pot up in a 2 gallon container or transplant directly. Water in deeply and keep shaded for a week.
WATCH FOR
The exposed tip wilting in midsummer with no recovery overnight. That usually means the buried section is dry, which stalls root formation. Soak the layered zone with at least a gallon of water and add another inch of mulch. If the tip dies back completely, secondary buds along the buried portion often take over and produce a rooted clone anyway.
Softwood cuttings
Time
4–6 weeks
Level
Intermediate
Success rate
Moderate
You'll need
Sterile sharp pruners
Rooting hormone (recommended)
Perlite or 50/50 perlite-peat mix
4 inch pots with drainage holes
Clear plastic dome or bag with stakes
Bright shade, 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit
1
Take cuttings in late May or early June
Cut 6 to 8 inch tips of this year's growth that bends without snapping. The wood should be green at the tip and just turning brown at the base. Take cuttings in early morning.
2
Trim and wound the base
Strip leaves from the bottom half. Make a clean cut just below a node. Score two shallow vertical scrapes on the lowest half inch and dip in rooting hormone.
Peggy Martin roots more easily than most roses, but hormone still pushes success from 50 to 80 percent.
Peggy Martin roots more easily than most roses, but hormone still pushes success from 50 to 80 percent.
3
Stick into moist perlite
Push each cutting 2 inches into pre-moistened perlite. Firm the medium around the stem so the cutting holds itself vertical. Space cuttings 2 inches apart.
4
Cover and keep humid
Tent the pot with a clear dome or a bag held off the leaves with stakes. Cuttings need near-saturated air for the first 3 weeks. Mist inside the dome daily.
5
Vent the dome at week 4
Open the dome for an hour the first day, doubling daily for a week. Tug a cutting at week 5. Resistance and small new green leaves mean roots have formed.
6
Pot up rooted cuttings
Move rooted cuttings to 1 gallon pots of regular potting mix once roots are 1 to 2 inches long. Grow on through summer in bright shade. Plant out in fall or the following spring.
WATCH FOR
Black streaks running down the stem from the cut end. That is rot from saturated medium or unsterile pruners. Discard affected cuttings, sterilize the dome with diluted bleach, and stick fresh cuttings in clean perlite. Yellow leaf drop without stem blackening usually means low humidity, mist the dome more often.
Hardwood cuttings
Time
3–4 months
Level
Beginner
Success rate
Moderate
You'll need
Sterile pruners
Pencil-thick canes from this year's growth
Rooting hormone (recommended)
Sandy loam or 50/50 sand-compost mix
Deep nursery pots or a trench
Mulch for protection
1
Cut hardwood in late January or February
Take 8 to 10 inch sections of pencil-thick wood from the previous season's growth. Cut straight across at the bottom and at an angle at the top so you can tell ends apart. Drop sections in a labeled bag if you are taking from multiple plants.
2
Wound the base and treat with hormone
Score the bottom inch with two shallow vertical cuts through the bark. Dip the wounded end in rooting hormone.
3
Bury two thirds of the cutting
Push each cutting into a sandy trench or a deep pot leaving 2 to 3 inches above the soil. The buried portion is where roots form, the exposed buds will leaf out in spring.
Mulch the trench 3 inches deep with straw to prevent freeze-thaw heave through the rest of winter.
Mulch the trench 3 inches deep with straw to prevent freeze-thaw heave through the rest of winter.
4
Wait for spring leaf-out
Surviving cuttings push leaves in March or April. Leaves alone do not prove rooting, the cutting can leaf out on stored sugars and die later.
5
Confirm rooting in early summer
By June, give each cutting a gentle tug. Resistance plus continued growth means roots have formed. Lift rooted cuttings in early autumn or leave them in place to grow on for another year.
WATCH FOR
Buds opening and then collapsing in late spring with no further new growth. That is a cutting that broke dormancy without forming roots, sustained by stored sugars only. Keep the trench moist through summer in case secondary buds activate, but plan to discard non-rooters by August.
Stay on top of plant care
Get seasonal reminders for watering and fertilizing, personalized for your plants.
Try Greg Free
About This Article
Kiersten Rankel M.S.
Botanical Data Lead at Greg · Plant Scientist
Editorial Process
Propagation methods verified against Rosa 'Peggy Martin' growth data from Greg's botanical database, cross-referenced with USDA hardiness zone data and published horticultural research.
64+ Greg users growing this plant
Citations:
LSU AgCenter
LSU AgCenter