Rainbow roses cannot be grown in the traditional sense. Instead, they are created by artificially dyeing white roses through a process of splitting the stem and feeding each section water mixed with different dyes.
Understanding Rainbow Roses
- Not Naturally Occurring: Rainbow roses are not a naturally occurring variety. You cannot plant rainbow rose seeds or cross-pollinate roses to get a rainbow rose.
- Created, Not Grown: The vibrant colors are achieved through artificial means, essentially turning a white rose into a living canvas.
The Process of Creating Rainbow Roses
The process involves taking white roses and dyeing them. Here's a basic overview:
- Selection of White Roses: Choose fresh, fully opened white roses.
- Stem Splitting: Carefully split the stem of the rose upwards from the cut end. The number of splits determines the number of colors you can introduce. For example, splitting the stem into four sections allows for four different colors.
- Dye Preparation: Prepare separate containers of water, each with a different floral dye color.
- Immersion: Place each section of the split stem into a different colored water container.
- Absorption: Allow the rose to absorb the colored water over a period of days (usually 2-7 days). The length of time depends on the humidity, the rose and the dye concentration. As the rose drinks the water, the dyes will be drawn up into the petals, creating the rainbow effect.
- Observation and Adjustment: Monitor the color development. You may need to adjust the dye concentration or the duration based on your environment and desired intensity.
Why You Can't Grow Them Naturally
- Genetics: Rose genetics dictate that cross-breeding will result in a hybrid that likely expresses a mix of traits from the parent plants, but not necessarily a stable "rainbow" appearance. Hybrid plants also do not grow true to seed until they are stabilized, meaning that even if you could cross breed roses to make a rainbow colored rose, the seeds from that rose would not make another rainbow colored rose.
- Dye Infusion: The rainbow effect relies on the physical infusion of dyes into the petals, a process that bypasses natural genetic mechanisms.
Summary
While you can't grow rainbow roses from seeds or through traditional rose cultivation methods, you can create them by dyeing white roses. This involves splitting the stem and using different colored dyes, allowing the rose to absorb the colors into its petals. This method transforms an ordinary white rose into a stunning, multi-colored bloom.
