Winter setting in can only mean one thing. It’s time to get the garden prepped.
And if you want the most colourful, vibrant roses, then the answer might already be in your pantry. Seriously.
To get the best crop, all you need is a potato (well, a couple).
According to the experts at Amaze Vege Garden, potatoes’ high water content makes them the ideal partner to help keep rose cuttings nice and moist, increasing the likelihood of your shoots taking root.
“Many avid flower lovers will try to grow this plant in their garden or their greenhouse. Some first-time growers may be shocked to hear about using potatoes to help propagate the roses even further,” the experts at Amaze Vege Garden told The Express.
How to grow a rose in a potato. Yes, you read that right.
To grow your spud-rose, experts explain that you need at least a 200mm stem and half a potato. Once all the leaves and flowers have been trimmed and removed, the stem is stuck into the potato, then the potato gets planted into the ground. Easy peasy.
“This boosts the roots of the stem to start growing and prevents it from going dry, which helps new leaves and roots to grow,” Amaze Veg Garden experts explain. “Having a good base that naturally provides all the nutrients and moisture needed for the new plant to grow means you won’t have to work as hard to ensure the rose will grow.
“This is often the only way to grow a new rose as the environment might be too tough for new stems to grow naturally.”
And, this is a relatively speedy process, too. They say it can take as little as five to six weeks if the soil is suitable.
So, before winter sets in, get halving those potatoes and begin clipping those cuttings. The time is now!