Transcript Rose Hybridizing

Rose
Hybridizing
A Beginner’s Guide to Creating
Your Own Roses
An American Rose
Society Presentation
Content and Photography by
Judith Belsham Singer
©2006
Have you ever thought about
creating your very own rose?
A totally new rose variety
that never existed before?
That’s right - your seedlings will be
different
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Roses grown from seed are not like cuttings
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They will be different from their parents
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Sometimes a little different…
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…and sometimes very, very different!
Let’s do it!
It’s easy and it’s fun
There are 5 Basic Steps
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1. Pollinate the flower
2. Let the hips ripen on the bush
3. Harvest the seeds and give them a cold
treatment
4. Remove the seeds from the cold and
let them germinate
5. Plant them
Step 1:
Pollinate the Flower
First, let’s look at
the rose flower
All rose blooms have BOTH
male and female parts
Female Pistils in the Middle
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The female parts are in
the very center of the
bloom, and are called
“pistils”
At the top of each pistil
is a little knob-like
structure called the
“stigma”
This is where you will
place the pollen
Male Stamens Surround the Pistils
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The male parts are
the “stamens” and
they form a ring
around the pistils
At the top of each
stamen is an “anther”
which produces the
pollen
Here you can see the many
stamens with their anthers on top
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Look at the stamens
on this bloom,
they’re all trying to
get their pollen on
the stigmas in the
middle
Here you can see the many
stamens with their anthers on top
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Most of the seeds
produced by this
bloom will have the
same mother and
father, having used
both pollen and
ovules, or eggs, from
the same bloom
But we want more diversity
We want to cross two different
varieties of our own choosing,
right?
Hmmmm….
What would we get if we cross these
two roses?
Or these two?
Expect to be Surprised!
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Just like in humans, your seedlings will
show certain similarities to their parents,
but also many differences
You might even cross a yellow hybrid tea
with an orange floribunda, and get red
mini’s for offspring
That’s part of the fun, you just never know
what you will get
How to decide on the
parents you want?
Choosing the Mother
The mother, or “seed parent” will produce
the hips and seeds
So the mother you choose should be a rose
that you know tends to develop hips
Not all roses produce hips
Choosing the Father
The father you choose is less critical, since
most (but not all) roses produce good
pollen
You can collect pollen from roses in your
own garden, or from a rose in someone
else’s garden…
…with their permission, of course!!
Now, what traits do you want?
Then consider the traits you
wish to see in your
seedlings. Do you want a
hybrid tea form? Cup
shape? A climber?
Do you want to breed for
hardiness? Disease
resistance?
So, now that you’ve
chosen the parents
you want to use…
…you are ready to prepare
to do your cross…
…but timing is very
important
Pollinate Early
Pollinate early in the Spring before the
weather gets very hot and when you are
not expecting rain for a few days
Hot sun can damage the pollen and the rain
can wash it off
Pollinate Early
If you live in an area with a short growing
season, that may have to be the first
bloom cycle, since the hip will need to
ripen on the bush for at least 3 months,
before your hard frosts begin
Pollinate early in the morning
Now, let’s start with the
father or ‘pollen parent’
Day 1: Collect the Pollen from the
Father
For the father,
choose a bloom
that is in the “loose
bud” stage
Day 1: Expose the Stamens
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Remove all of the
petals to expose
the stamens
The stamens
should be plump
but should not have
released their
pollen yet
Day 1: Remove the Stamens
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With your fingers,
a tweezers or a
scissors, gently
remove the
stamens from the
bloom
Day 1: Freshly Removed Stamens
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And set them aside in the
house on a piece of paper or
in a small open jar, keep
them dry
Leave the paper or jar in a
warm spot overnight, about
75 degrees or so. On top of
a hot water heater is good
Tomorrow, you will use the
pollen to pollinate the
mother
On the same day you removed
the stamens from the father,
you will prepare the mother…
…but you won’t pollinate her
until Day 2
Day 1: Choose a bloom to be the
mother
Choose a bloom in
the ½ open stage.
The bloom should
be fresh, and the
pistils and stamens
should not be
visible
Day 1: Remove the petals and
stamens from the mother
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Gently remove all of the
petals and stamens from the
mother bloom. Make sure the
pollen has not been released
This will prevent selfpollination
Leave the mother bloom
attached to the plant
Wait until the next morning to
pollinate her
Note: You may discard the stamens or save them to pollinate a different bloom
Day 2: Pollinate
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The next morning you
will see that the
stamens you put in a
warm place have
burst, and their pollen
is on the paper or in
your jar
Day 2: Put the pollen on the
prepared female
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With your finger or
using a small brush,
wipe up some of the
pollen and gently
brush it on top of the
stigmas of your
prepared female
Save some pollen and
repeat the process on
Day 3
To summarize:
It’s a 2 or 3 Day Process
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On Day 1:
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Collect the stamens
from the father and
set them aside in a
warm, dry place
Prepare the female by
removing the stamens
and petals
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On Day 2
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Pollinate the female
On Day 3
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Pollinate the female
again. This will
increase your success
rate, but is not
essential
Naming your cross
Tradition dictates that the mother is always
listed first. So if you used ‘Tropicana’ as
the mother, and ‘Double Delight’ as the
father, your cross would be:
‘Tropicana’ x ‘Double Delight’
Now, Label Your Cross
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Attach a waterproof tag
loosely below the bloom.
Include the father’s name
and the date of the cross
Since the tag is attached
to the mother plant, you
don’t need her name on
the tag
Why date it? You’ll see
soon…
Step 2:
Now wait…………..
Your hip needs to ripen
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If your pollination was
successful, your hip
will start to swell in
the next 3 or 4 weeks
The seeds are
fattening up inside
Relax and enjoy the summer. It will
take 3-4 months for your seeds to
mature
Step 3:
Harvest your seeds and give
them a cold nap
When you see color, your hips
are ripe
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Well, generally. Many hips
will turn red, orange or
yellow when ripe, but some
may stay pretty green
How to tell?
If the hips are turning color,
and it has been about 110
days since you pollinated,
you can harvest them
Hips still green?
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Hips on some varieties just
never turn color
So how do you know if
they’re ripe?
You dated your cross,
remember?
If your hips are still green
4-5 months after you did
the cross, they are
probably ok to harvest
Remove the hip
It’s finally time!
 Cut the hip off
the bush
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Open the hip to expose the seeds
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Cut into the hip with a
knife or scissors
Don’t worry about
damaging the seeds,
they’re very hard
Your fingers are not.
Be careful!
Is the pulp inside, yellow or
orange?
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Great! It’s probably
ripe enough
Inside you will see
from one to many
seeds
Remove the seeds
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You can separate the
seeds from the hip
with your knife, or
with your fingers
Discard the empty hip
Clean the seeds
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Now remove any excess
pulp that is still on the
seeds, by rubbing them
around in a strainer
under running water, or
by using your knife to
scrape it off
Clean them well. Pulp left
on the seed may inhibit
germination and will
encourage mold
Side Note: The Float Test
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If you put your cleaned
seeds in water, the
“bad” ones will float.
The ones that sink are
said to be “good”
This is not a totally
reliable test, as some
seeds that are good will
also float. Use them all!
Soak the seeds
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Now, to kill off some of
the bacteria and fungi,
soak the seeds for 24
hours in straight, store
bought 3% hydrogen
peroxide
Another way is to make a
thick paste of a chlorinebased scouring cleanser
and let them soak in it for
an hour. Rinse very well!
Side Note: Bromelain
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Some hybridizers use enzymes to help
clean and break down the seed coat
bonds. If you wish to do this, you can buy
the digestive, Bromelain, in tablets at the
health food store. Use ½ - 1 tablet in an
ounce of water and soak the seeds for 2448 hours before you do the peroxide soak
This step is not essential
Is it Winter?
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After the bath, give
your seeds a long,
cold nap in the
refrigerator so they
think it’s winter
Make little beds for
your seeds using
quilted paper towels.
Cut one towel in half
or thirds
Make a moist bed
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Fold and dampen the
towel with hydrogen
peroxide or peroxide
and water and wring
it out moderately. The
towel should be well
moistened but not
sopping wet
Wrap the seeds
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Fold the paper towel
around your seeds…
Put it in a baggie
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And place the little bed in a plastic baggie which
is marked with the names of both the seed and
pollen parents, and the date you are placing
them in the refrigerator. The label below shows
there are 16 seeds inside
Lots of Seed Crosses?
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Place all of your
baggies with their
precious cargo in a
box…
“Stratification”
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…and place them in
the rear bottom of the
refrigerator, or in the
vegetable bin. 35 –
45 degrees is great
This is “stratification”
The seeds will remain
in the cold for 8
weeks or more
Check on them occasionally
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You will want to check on
your seeds after they’ve
been in the cold for 4 weeks
Are they getting moldy? If
so, you can clean them off
by rubbing them under
running water or re-soak
them for 24 hours in
peroxide
Then put them back in the
cold
Mold is common
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A certain amount of
mold is ok, but too
much will damage
your seeds
Seeds germinating in the ‘fridge?
Some seeds will germinate while still
in the cold
 Great!
 Skip ahead to Step 5 and plant them
as shown
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Step 4:
Awaken the Seeds from
their Cold Nap
Is it Spring Yet?
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After about 2 months, take
them out of the cold
occasionally for 12-24
hours
At 3-4 months you can
remove them from the cold
permanently. They will
think spring has arrived!
No sun please
Rose seeds germinate best
at around 50-55 degrees,
but 65-70 is okay too
Now, check your seeds often
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Soon you will see your
seeds splitting, and a
little root poking out.
Your rose baby is trying
to emerge!
This may happen as soon
as 8 weeks from the day
you began stratification,
or could take up to 2
years
But typically, it happens
in 3 or 4 months
Step 5:
Germination
Time to Plant Your Babies!
Your baby is born!
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When you see the
root emerging, it’s
time to plant
You can let the root
get longer than this,
but if you wait too
long, the root will
grow into the paper
towel
First, a quick bath
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Give your little seed a
quick bath in
hydrogen peroxide,
for a minute or two
while preparing your
pot and soil
Be gentle!
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Prepare a small pot with
store bought seedstarting mix moistened
with water, or make your
own with sphagnum peat,
sand, vermiculite and
perlite
Make a little indentation
in the middle of the soil
and place the seed, root
pointed down, in the
indentation, then barely
cover the seed with soil
Put the pot in a bright spot
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Label the pot and put
it under a fluorescent
plant light, a plant
bulb (not too close)
or on a bright
windowsill
Keep the soil damp
but not wet
Pass out the cigars!
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In a few days to a
week, you will see a
little, tiny seedling pop
up from the soil. Your
new rose has been
born!
Congratulations, you
have a rose baby!
Water gently…
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Water your new baby
very carefully as she is
very fragile
Watering from the
bottom by dunking the
little pot in a bowl of
water for a few
seconds is safest
Try not to saturate the
soil, but keep it damp
Let there be Light
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If you can provide
morning sun for your
babies, that’s perfect
for the first week or so
Or you can continue
to grow them under
plant lights. You can
keep the lights on all
day, or even all day
and night
Increase the sun gradually
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After the first week, if
you can, add some
afternoon sun which
is stronger than
morning sun
Buds
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Now, the most
exciting part of all!
You may see flower
buds forming within
6-8 weeks
Some may not bloom
the first year though,
don’t give up hope
And Blooms
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It’s so exciting to see
the first bloom
starting to open!
Future blooms will
probably have more
petals and be bigger,
even the color or
scent may change
Fertilizing your seedlings
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After the seedling has
produced several sets
of real leaves, you will
want to feed with a
balanced fertilizer
diluted to ½ strength,
every 2 – 3 weeks
Feed less if the
seedling is a slowgrower
Pot them up
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Some of your
seedlings will outgrow
their little containers
quite quickly. Some
will grow slowly
Pot the vigorous ones,
as needed, into larger
pots using a good
quality potting soil
Pests
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If the plants are outdoors, you may need
to use a fungicide or miticide if you are
having bug or mildew problems
Indoors, aphids can be washed off or
removed with a toothpick or small brush
Spider mites can be washed off with a
mild solution of soapy water in a spray
bottle
Mildew
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If you have mildew problems indoors, the
following solution will work and is nontoxic:
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To a 1 quart spray bottle, add 1 teaspoon of
baking soda and ½ cup milk. Fill the rest of
the container with water. Spray leaves lightly
as needed holding the plant sideways. (You
don’t want to add salt to the soil). Keep the
solution refrigerated
Evaluating your Seedling
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Is it healthy, vigorous?
Is it hardy?
Is the color or shape unusual or
striking?
Are the leaves interesting?
Is the growth bushy? A potential
climber?
Is the bloom form good?
Does it have scent?
Does it blow open quickly in the
sun?
Too many seedlings?
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If you don’t have a lot of space, after a number
of blooms, you may have to “cull” or eliminate
some of the seedlings that are unhealthy or
have been producing poor blooms
This is NOT easy to do with your first babies!
If you have the space you may want to watch
them for a year or so. Some will improve and
surprise you!
Their first Winter
Protect your seedlings from heavy rain,
wind, snow and hail during their first
year. Cover them or bring them inside if
you are expecting severe weather
Do you have a “Winner?”
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Think you’ve produced a
great rose? It could
happen
If so, you will need to
learn how to propagate
your seedling for further
evaluation by bud grafting
or by rooting cuttings
Rose Registration
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The American Rose Society is the
International Rose Registrar
Register with ARS to obtain a code name,
i.e. HOT
All roses must have a code name, such as
HOTrose
You can select a common name. Search
helpmefind.com/roses for potential names
Rose Registration
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You cannot use a trademarked name, such
as Cupcake™
Names can not be more than 30
characters long
Register your rose with ARS
Can be registered on-line at the ARS
website, www.ars.org
Test your rose
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The American Rose Society has a test
garden for evaluation of roses produced
by amateur hybridizers. Contact them for
further information:
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Ground Supervisor
American Rose Center
8877 Jefferson Paige Road
Shreveport, LA 71119-8817
For more information
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There are several internet chat groups
that can help you with questions,
including:
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The Rose Hybridizers Association forum at
www.rosehybridizers.org
Rosarian’s Corner at :
www.rosarianscorner.com
Learn More - Join the RHA!
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Join the Rose Hybridizers Association at
www.rosehybridizers.org
They have several excellent publications
available on hybridizing roses, plus a
terrific quarterly newsletter
And of course…
Join the American Rose Society!
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Join the American Rose Society
at www.ars.org or by contacting
them:
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American Rose Society
P. O. Box 30,000
Shreveport, LA 71130-0030
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E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 318-938-5402
Fax: 318-938-5405
The many benefits include a test
garden and registration for your
seedlings, a full color monthly
magazine and an annual packed
with lots of great information
And most importantly…
Enjoy the new roses you’ve
created!!