New plants by budding
Virtually all rose bushes sold bare-root are budded plants. At the proper time of year, professional budders slice growth eyes or "buds" from stems of the roses they want to propagate. They insert these buds into incisions in the bark on well-rooted cuttings, called "under stocks," of another rose known to give good root systems. There are several good reasons for propagating roses this way.
• To the commercial grower it means faster production of new varieties: a cutting long enough to be rooted will have at least four buds, but each of these buds inserted into under stock could produce a separate plant.
• The commercial grower also needs plants which can be dug up easily without damage to roots and which have roots that will pack and ship easily. Most commercial under stocks have relatively flexible and not-too-thick roots.
• Some roses, regardless of the quality of their own roots, are difficult to root and would always be in short supply if they had to be propagated from cuttings.
Commercial growers who ship nationally also look for under stocks that will grow well under the greatest possible variety of growing conditions. As yet, no perfect under stock has been developed that is suitable for all regions, but two of the most widely adaptable are Rosa multiflora, a species from Japan, and the semi-double, maroon-red climber 'Dr. Huey'. Multiflora is preferred for cold-winter areas; 'Dr. Huey', with a shorter dormancy requirement, is better for most of the Southwest and other mild-winter regions. Other mild-winter under stocks are 'Odorata (an old Chinese garden hybrid) and Rosa fortuneana-the latter good for the unusual conditions in Florida where roses never go dormant and many soils are fast draining and nematode infested.
Virtually all rose bushes sold bare-root are budded plants. At the proper time of year, professional budders slice growth eyes or "buds" from stems of the roses they want to propagate. They insert these buds into incisions in the bark on well-rooted cuttings, called "under stocks," of another rose known to give good root systems. There are several good reasons for propagating roses this way.
• To the commercial grower it means faster production of new varieties: a cutting long enough to be rooted will have at least four buds, but each of these buds inserted into under stock could produce a separate plant.
• The commercial grower also needs plants which can be dug up easily without damage to roots and which have roots that will pack and ship easily. Most commercial under stocks have relatively flexible and not-too-thick roots.
• Some roses, regardless of the quality of their own roots, are difficult to root and would always be in short supply if they had to be propagated from cuttings.
Commercial growers who ship nationally also look for under stocks that will grow well under the greatest possible variety of growing conditions. As yet, no perfect under stock has been developed that is suitable for all regions, but two of the most widely adaptable are Rosa multiflora, a species from Japan, and the semi-double, maroon-red climber 'Dr. Huey'. Multiflora is preferred for cold-winter areas; 'Dr. Huey', with a shorter dormancy requirement, is better for most of the Southwest and other mild-winter regions. Other mild-winter under stocks are 'Odorata (an old Chinese garden hybrid) and Rosa fortuneana-the latter good for the unusual conditions in Florida where roses never go dormant and many soils are fast draining and nematode infested.
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