How to Cross Breed & Get Black Roses
The elusive black rose has been one of the most sought after cultivars of rose enthusiasts all over the globe. Cross breeding strategies are constantly underway trying to obtain a truly jet-black rose flower for propagation and commercial use. To date, no one has succeeded, but if you are ready to get in the hunt as well there are a few things you need to know before getting started. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Small scissors
- Cotton swab
- Small plastic cup
- Notebook
- Permanent marker
- Waterproof labels
Instructions
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Steps For Attempting To Cross Breed For a Black Rose
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Start with two genetically different root stocks---say a Black Baccara and a Black Magic (the second darkest available rose)--as your parent rose bushes. Most rose cultivars are genetically identical today, so cross breeding similar varietals will only get you identical offspring.
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2
Select the darkest blooms from each parent bush for cross pollination. This will isolate those genes which predispose the blooms to darker colors, and over several generations will increase the likelihood that you'll achieve a black rose as the result of cross breeding. Determine which of your bushes will pollinate the other. (Hint: the pollinated plant should be the more established, disease-resistant bush of the two.)
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Collect pollen from the darkest bloom on the plant you determined would be the pollinator. Cut the bloom off, and then strip away the flower petals until you reach the center of the bloom, which will contain both the stamen and the pollen sacs. Place the flower upside down in a small cup for a day, which will allow the pollen to dry into a yellow powder.
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Prepare the "female" or host plant for pollination. Remove the flower petals (but not the sepals) so that you can see both the stamen and the stigmas. Using small scissors, cut the stamen so that only the stigmas are present. It will take 12-24 hours for a clear substance to appear on the stigmas, at which point you'll use the cotton swab to gently brush the pollen from the cup onto the stigmas.
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Make waterproof labels out of plastic tags and use a permanent marker to write what was crossed and when. If you pollinated a Black Baccara with a Black Magic, for instance, write, "Black Baccara x Black Magic/ 2009-Generation 1." The following year, if you took the offspring from your first cross and pollinated it again with a Black Magic, your label would read, "Gen 2 x Black Magic/ 2010-Generation 2."
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Gather the seeds for propagating the offspring of your cross breeding efforts. These are located in the rose hips just below the sepals of the pollinated plant. It will be easy to locate some months later because of the label you attached to the stem. Wait until the hips are an orange-red color for harvesting. At this point, you'll remove the hips for storage. Place them in a plastic baggie in a cool, dry place until the next growing season arrives. You'll then plant them in the ground to raise as your Generation 2 offspring, which can be used to pollinate either (or both) of the parent plants to create future, darker blooming generations.
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Tips & Warnings
Cross breeding for a specific trait like black blooms may take years; consider using a notebook to make detailed records of your steps, particularly if you are pollinating more than one bloom per season. This will cut down on repetitive and unnecessary crosses, saving you much time.
