The picture at the top of this article is a Hibiscus mutabilis (commonly known as Confederate Rose). Did you know this plant can change the color of its flowers? I consider this a special flower because of this ability. In this article, I will let you know how to propagate Confederate Rose.
I will talk about all the possible methods we can consider to propagate Confederate Rose. I started writing on GardenVive in 2023, but I have been gardening since I was 14. I try to cover all the possible methods but always start with the best and easiest ones.
We can choose any of the below propagation methods, but it's best to choose the first one:
- Cuttings propagation
- Seed propagation
- Division propagation
I have only the single petal at this moment and tested all the propagations myself on this variant. But you can apply the same to all kinds of Confederate Rose varieties.
How to propagate Confederate Rose from cuttings
Among all the propagation methods, this is considered the best propagation method for the Confederate Rose. The reasons: good success rate and fast propagation.
You can propagate a Confederate Rose plant anytime you want. I have done the stem cutting propagation of Confederate Rose in various seasons as I live in Zone 10. But I will suggest doing the stem cutting propagation in the active growing season. (late summer to early fall)
Select the right stem for cutting
Choose healthy stems with several nodes. Make sure you are taking multiple cuttings ( as you can't expect 100% success rate). Try not to choose flowering shoots. They are slower in rooting.
Cut a 6- to 8-inch section from a mature healthy stem. Make a clean, angled cut just below a node ( It will help rooting faster).
Prepare the Cutting
Remove all the leaves from the cuttings. For this particular plant propagation, I don't suggest leaving the top few leaves for photosynthesis as other plants. (For example: Plumeria propagation from cuttings)
Note: The angled cut portion should be the lower portion where roots will grow. Angled cut increases the surface area, that's the reason it helps rooting faster.
Choose the rooting medium
Now, here you have two different options. You can either place the cut portion in water or choose soil to plant the cuttings.
You can not do water rooting for every plant. But you are getting this option for Confederate Rose. The positive side of water rooting is you can see the root development progress.
If you want to plant the cuttings in the soil then you have to prepare the soil first with a good drainage system.
Tip: Use a mix of peat and perlite or coarse sand for the soil preparation. No need to use rooting hormones. ( I never did this but propagation was really impressive)
You can spray water on the soil twice a day and do not let the soil dry. Maintain the moist. (Poop drainage in the soil will lead to stem rot before root development)
If possible go with water medium. Dip the bottom 3 inches in water and you can start seeing small new roots within 2 weeks. In colder regions, you can expect it in the 3rd week.
In a water medium, plant the cuttings into the soil (When you notice first root development wait for another 10 days and then plant those). Use a glass pot or any transparent container to witness the root development.
For soil medium, transplant the cuttings when you see small foliage just beside the nodes on the stems.
How to grow Confederate Rose from seeds?
It's a slower process thus you need to keep patience. You can collect the seeds from the dry seed pods.
It was hard for me to buy the seeds of Confederate Rose, so I waited to get seed pods on my own Confederate Rose plant. I let them completely dry. Do not worry, the seed pod does not open up automatically that easily.
Once you collect the seeds from the seed pods, wait for their next growing season.
In the next growing season, soak the seeds in water for 24 hours. (It will speed up the germination process.
Now it's time to prepare the seed-sowing soil. Use coco peat mixed with sandy soil or use well-draining seed-starting mix. ( If possible use a seeding tray)
Press the seeds gently into the soil and cover lightly. Spray water on the soil. Keep the soil moist for the next 2 weeks. You can expect the small saplings to appear on the ground in the second week. Once you find the true leaves (Not the seed-head one), it's time to transplant those in the ground or pot.
For planting, give 5 feet of spacing between two plants.
Division propagation is yet to be tested by myself. Once I will test it, I will give an update. But for now, I will not recommend this one as stem-cutting propagation really works fine with Confederate Rose.
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