- 1). Select a stem for cutting that has a faded bloom. The stem as well as the leaves should be green and healthy.
- 2). Cut the top 6 inches of the stem 1/4 inch below a leaf using a sharp hand-held pruning tool. Immediately place the cutting in a container of water to prevent it from drying out.
- 3). Prepare the rooting medium by making a mixture of equal parts of vermiculite and potting soil. The potting soil should be taken from a container that has never been opened or exposed to the outdoors. Old potting soil may contain mold pathogens that attack the tender roots of the new antique rose plant.
- 4). Fill a container that has drainage holes with the rooting medium. Soak the rooting medium with water and allow it to drain.
- 5). Make a hole 3 inches deep in the rooting medium with your forefinger or a pencil. This is where the stem will be placed. The hole is made to ensure that the powdered rooting hormone will not be scraped off the stem when the stem is placed in the rooting medium.
- 6). Remove the stem from the container holding water and pinch the leaves off the lower half of the stem or cutting. Be sure the leaves and stems are completely removed from the lower half of the cutting.
- 7). Place the cut end of the stem in the powdered rooting hormone and coat the entire bottom half of the stem. The rooting hormone should cover the cut end of the stem and the wounds where the leaves were removed from the lower half of the cutting.
- 8). Place the end of the cutting that is covered with rooting hormone into the hole you made in the planting medium. Close the planting medium around the stem so it has contact with the entire lower half of the stem using gentle pressure from your hands. The soil should be firm enough to hold the cutting in an upright position.
- 9). Place the cutting in a bright area, but not in direct sun. Keep the soil moist until you note active growth. This may take four to six weeks.
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