Two thumbs up, John! Vavoom x DayBreaker. I'm anticipating needing sunglasses when a few of those crosses bloom!

I was wondering if You could tell me how you did you cold treatment in the fridge? I have seeds I need to start am not sure how to go about it. Any advice would be a great help! Thanks

I took the seeds out of the hips and cleaned them thoroughly and then soaked them overnight in a 50/50 hydrogen peroxide/water bath. Next day I rinsed them well and made sure there was no goop from the hip left on them. Then I mixed 2 parts of hydrogen peroxide to 8 parts water and soaked three coffee filters in it. I spread the seeds on 1/2 of the filter and then folded the filter over twice and put it in a ziplock bag in the fridge to stratify.
I used to use paper towels instead of coffee filters, but the paper towels fall apart and when the seeds start germinating the roots can get tangled up in the ratty paper towel. I lost several seedlings trying to get the germinated seed out of that mess. The coffee filters don't fall apart and the newly rooted seedlings come right off the coffee filter with ease. I haven't lost a seedling doing it this way with the coffee filters instead of the paper towels.
After removing the germinated seeds from the coffee filter I just put it back in the fridge to continue stratifying. I have been checking them every 2 or 3 days and removing any germinated seeds that show up. I transplant the new seedlings into a tray with seedling starter soil mixed with a little coconut coir and perlite.
I am now up to 10 seedlings of the Vavoom X Day Breaker cross and 5 of the Happy Chappy X Roseberry Blanket cross and they are doing quite well.
John
John

Congratulations John.
Some of your seedlings should start blooming in about a month.

My 10 seedlings of the Vavoom X Day Breaker are starting to put on their first real rose leaves already and all 9 are looking very healthy still. I am pleased not to have seen any damp-off--hope I didn't just jinx myself, LOL..I have had several instances of damp off on new seedlings when they were just a day or two germinated so going 10 clean days is a blessing. I am running a dehumidifier 24/7 fairly near the seedling room this year in the hopes it will keep the air dryer and less apt to encourage any type of mold or fungus anywhere in the basement of my house, not just on the seedlings. I know of some people that have finished basemants only to have bad mildew/mold problems and I definitely don't want that to get started here in my own basement.
John

Seedlings seem to like growing in a cool (55 deg F) basement; there are few disease problems at this temp.
Lady bugs keep the seedlings free of aphids and other pests.

Be very cautious when fertilizing seedlings!
The only fertilizer my seedlings get is a small scoop of Osmocote when they reach blooming size.
Some hybridizers apply very dilute soluble fertilizer to very young seedlings, but I have killed more seedlings with Miracle Gro fertilizer than any other way.

The advice about being careful fertilizing seedlings is good. The most important thing to remember is to read everything and only internalize what is suitable for your situation. If you're raising seedlings indoors or in a greenhouse where you can keep the soil moist, then use something very light, like Whitney Farms Seed Starter Mix. If, such is my situation, you are having to raise them outdoors where they will experience wide fluctuations in temperatures, humidity and soil moisture, use something heavier and more moisture retentive. I've always raised mine out doors in raised boxes to keep the squirrels, rabbits, etc. out. They're lined with hardware cloth with removeable lids to provide air, water and light but prevent entry to vermin. It gets hot any time of the year here (Los Angeles suburbs) and I can't always water them multiple times a day, so I have been using Miracle Grow Moisture Control Potting Soil. It remains wet, but not soggy and I can often go several days between waterings. If you're doing this under cover, this medium will be too wet. It hasn't been too heavy so seedlings germinate and break through easily. This soil has fertilizer already incorporated in it. I won't fertilize them until long after transplanting and I haven't noticed any problems waiting in all the years I've been raising seedlings.

The most important thing to keep in mind is to tailor everything you read to YOUR climate, YOUR conditions, YOUR situation. The worst failures I've witnessed in seed raising, gardening, nursery management, etc., have been caused by the person reading something then attempting to replicate it exactly without any thought given to WHERE what was written worked. I've seen backyard propagation misters fail when too heavy soil was used in enclosed units where sand should have been used. I've seen the reverse failure, too. Rose seed germinates in my gardens in plain old soil with no help from me. If it won't germinate where I want it to, I am doing something wrong.

They want to be moist, not soggy. They need as good, if not better, air circulation than garden plants. They need light, not necessarily direct, hot sun, though they will tolerate direct hot sun easily IF the roots remain cool and moist. Don't use clay nor ceramic pots in hot areas where they will overheat and cook the roots. Wood, plastic, foam are all better as they don't overheat when sun shines on them. Seedlings require the same things as garden roses, only a bit more controlled as they really are infants. Anything too extreme will kill them just as extremes can damage or kill baby animals and people.