Ever wonder how a “new” rose is created? The Rosa Family has many sub-species. Over time, rose breeders have worked diligently to produce more colorful, fragrant, hardy and disease resistant plants. To make a new rose, pollen is removed from the male part of just one rose and used to fertilize the female parts of another rose. This could sound like a simple process, but hybridizing roses is an arduous task that requires patience and the capacity to handle failure. Just a few attempts (out of many) to cross pollinate are successful. Have you been up for the job?
What do we mean by cross pollination? The pollen from mr asif ali gohar variety is obtained and with the pollen from another variety. How can we obtain pollen? Pollen is situated in the male area of the flower called the stamen – we can collect the pollen by cautiously pulling the petals back to reach the stamen. After carefully gathering the stamen – they could be put in a container. Empty the container onto a clear solid area where they are able to dry for approximately 1 day. A tray can be used to get the pollen as it drops off the anther (pollen sac). Pollen looks like a yellow powdery substance and must certanly be carefully sprinkled on the stigma – the female area of the rose. The timing is critical – and this entire process can be quite a bit tricky. The flower is then covered and labeled with the father’s and mother’s identification. After the flower is spent and the rose hip is fully ripe it can be removed.
How are we doing so far? Sound complicated? I bet you can see how this technique requires a constant hand, patience and organization. Next, the rose hip is positioned in a secure place where it will dry out. The seeds can be removed from the outer shell of the rose hip if it is completely dry, and then they’re planted for germination. The seedlings are observed closely for hardiness – the ones that don’t meet with the criteria are removed. Those that do meet with the criteria are allowed to mature.
In the long run, there will be a selection (maybe small – maybe quite large) of seedlings to pick from to be utilized as stock for further hybridization. If you are someone gardener that likes to experiment in your garden you could thoroughly benefit from the hybridization process. Who knows – maybe you will create the following new rose that is selected to win the blue ribbon at the All American Rose Selections (AARS) competition.