I transplanted a pink rose bush last fall and it did fine but ......?

Question

now it has a red rose like you buy at a flower shop growing out of the base of it . It has a tougher stem and different leaves but it is attached to my pink rose bush. I have herd of grafting roses but I didn't do anything to it?? Any Ideas?

Answer 1

The red rose is from the root stock rose. Any stems growing out of the ground or from below the graft (that would be the bulbous part of the main stem right near the base) is from the root stock and should be pruned away. They take energy from the main rose, and they generally don't perform as well as the main rose. Root stock roses are generally hardier, but they often don't repeat bloom, or the blooms are not as impressive. So basically, if you see any suckers (stems coming from the ground or below the graft), prune them away. It's a normal thing for grafted roses, and the pruning is part of the normal maintenance of the rose.

Answer 2

IT HAS THE RED ROSE AT THE BOTTOM BECAUSE THE ROSE BUSH THAT YOU BOUGHT WAS GRAFTED. SEVERAL OF THE NEW VARIETIES OF ROSES ARE GRAFTED. THEY GET GRAFTED FOR SEVERAL REASONS, LIKE THE PARENT PLANT IS MORE DISEASE RESISTANT OR DROUGHT TOLERANT. THEN THE PLANT THAT THEY GRAFT ON THE TOP IS THE PLANT THAT HAS THE MORE DESIRABLE TRAITS, LIKE MULTI COLOR, OR GREAT FRAGRANCE, OR LONG LASTING BLOOMS. GRAFTING CREATES A BETTER PLANT. YOU SHOULD JUST KEEP THAT STEM ON THE BOTTOM PRUNED BACK SO THAT IT ISN'T DRAINING THE WATER AND NUTRIENTS FROM THE ROSE THAT YOU BOUGHT. ALSO SOMETIMES IF THERE IS A REALLY BAD FREEZE OVER THE WINTER THE ROSE WILL DIE BACK TO THE ROOT IF IT IS NOT PROPERLY MULCHED AND PROTECTED FROM THE FREEZE. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE ROOT STOCK ROSE, THE ONE THAT THE GRAFT WAS PUT ON, WILL BE THE ROSE THAT YOU ARE LEFT WITH, BECAUSE THE GRAFT GOT KILLED OUT BY THE FREEZE. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR ROSE.

Answer 3

The pink rose you transplanted was obviously a grafted rose. The understock (probably Dr.Huey) is a more vigorous, hardier grower while the pink rose grafted on the top is not. If you only have red blooms coming from below then you have lost the pink rose. No need to save the red rose as you will not be satisfied with the bloom, regularity of the bloom, and conformation of the bush size wise. Sorry.

Answer 4

When you moved the plant you may have inadvertenly removed the graft. I had a blue angel climbing rose bush when my husband pruned it the color of the roses changed from a bluey purple to all red. At this point I am not sure you can regraft the rose bush but maybe when you prune it this fall the pink roses will come back. My roses have stayed red and I really miss the blue angel but it is still beautiful so just enjoy yours and be happy it didn't die. Best of luck with your rose bush.

Answer 5

What happened is that the pink roses you bought were grafted before you bought them. The rootstock for the red roses was more hardy than that of the pink roses, this is done to ensure that your plant grows well. My advice is to prune off the undesirable part of the plant.

Courtney
Landscape Architecture, with minor concentration in Landscape Horticulture, University of Arkansas

Answer 6

you have whats called a 'runner' or 'sucker'

the pink rose was grafted onto the root stock of a red rose when you bought it. this is very common, they will usually take a rose with strong roots like your red one, and graft on the rose of the color you want on top of it. nearly all roses you buy will have been grafted on to a stronger root variety.

just cut off the red rose stem (assuming you dont want it), and bury the base of the bush with dirt or mulch to cover the area it grew out of.

Answer 7

You bought it that way.