Stenting of roses; a method for quick propagation by simultaneously cutting and grafting

A method was developed for quick propagation of roses under conditions prevailing in The Netherlands, based on cutting and grafting in one action and called “stenting” (to stent), being a contraction of the dutch words “stekken” (to strike a cutting) and “enten” (to graft). A piece of stem of the cultivar with one leaf and a dormant bud is grafted on a single internode of the rootstock. Formation of the graft union and of adventitious roots occur simultaneously, resulting in a complete plant in 3 weeks.Absence of buds on the rootstock is essential to diminish wild suckering. Factors influencing the percentage of successful stentlings were investigated. With R. chinensis ‘Indica Major’ as a rootstock, the best results were obtained with mature internodes 6–8 mm in diameter after application of 5000 mg 1^?1 IBA. Pre-treatment of the rootstock internodes by application of IBA and storage at 4° C for 3 weeks improved rooting. Comparison of grafting by hand and by machine showed that machine-grafting offers good possibilities.The influence of the cultivar, after cutting or stenting, on root-formation and root-growth was studied. Grafting on seedling rootstocks (bench-grafting) and stenting proved to give similar results. In the first year after stenting, R. chinensis ‘Indica Major’ was a better rootstock for the cultivar ‘Cocktail 80’ than R. canina ‘Inermis’, while ‘Inermis’ was better for ‘Motrea’.Rose culture can be improved by using cultivars stented on a convenient rootstock. Stenting can be applied around the year, is ideal for screening new scion/stock combinations and to investigate the interaction between shoots and roots.