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Re: Roses cutting or grafting

Amy Knutson wrote:
> 
> The Heritage Roses nursery here in Oregon has been growing and selling
> many varieties of roses on their own stock for years. They're beautiful,
> grow just fine, and seem to be hardier and more disease-resistant than
> grafted varieties. Last year, I took two cuttings from a neighbor's rose
> bush and one from an old variety in my mother-in-law's yard. They're all
> flushing out quite nicely and even bloomed last summer. Sure, they don't
> have perfect tea-rose form, but I like them better.

Grafting does not affect the form of the flowers, the genetic makeup of
the budded wood determines that.
Many different reasons for grafting have been posted on this thread, and
for once, (almost) all of us are right. Grafting is used to:
-slow rampant growth (by deliberately grafting mismatched varieties)
-speed delicate growth (with more vigorous roots than they would
themselves produce)
-produce a plant better adapted to soil conditions (with a tailor-made
root system)
-produce a plant resistant to soil pests (ditto)
It allows all these things by giving the grower the freedom to mix and
match properties of scion and bud wood. 
The one suggestion posted that is not really correct was that grafts
protect from frost damage. Frost kills the top of the plant, not its
roots. Grafts are a poor choice for areas with regular winter kill - if
only the scion wood survives, it will grow into Lord know's what - not
the variety you planted! Own-root roses are sold specifically for colder
areas.
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