"bvegaswww" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

This is my first post. So please go easy.
But I have a three-year old I believe "Heirloom" rose bush. I cut her
back
this year to encourage the new growth.

Welcome!

How much did you cut it back? That is, how
many inches did you leave above the
bud union? By the way, about where are you?
We don't need a street address, but a general
location (city, country). Garden advice varies
depending on weather, among other factors.

I also spray regularly for the rose aphids and other stuff.

I don't. I do get some aphids but hose them off
or let copious amounts of lady bugs take care
of them. That's an individual choice, of course.
A lot of local rose people who know more than
I do spray regularly.

I noticed however, on one of the bottoms of the stalks I cut back a
quite
wide area of discoloration. It starts like in the middle and moves out
of
the stalk.

Red turns to black.... I don't know how to correct this, and should I
just
cut it off?...

In roses they're called canes.

Do you mean the inside of the cane is
discolored? Healthy canes should be white/cream.
They turn brown when they're dying/dead.
(That said, I have some old garden roses that
bloom like mad on canes that have discolored
pith. g) I'm not sure where the red is
coming from...

Usual practice is to prune down to the point
where the pith (interior of the cane) is
white/cream colored. Sometimes that means
pruning down to the bud union.

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8