Would it hurt germination to let them dry out before stratifying? Would it be best to leave them in the hips awhile or even leave them on the plant for the maximum amount of time before they shrivel up and drop off? Also, what is the maximum amount of time recommended for keeping them in the fridge if they haven't sprouted yet?
Thank you,
Linda

There are great discussions about hybridizing and harvesting and growing seeds on the General Hybridizing Discussion section on another rose forum, but GW keeps rejecting this message because I refer to the forum (Ros****n's Corner) by name. Grrr. Contact me through My Page, and I'll send you the link if you don't have it already.

Connie

Connie, I will check out that site..thank you. I can't believe GW would worry about people going to other sites!
Last year when I had some of my seeds in the fridge for several months someone told me to take them out right away. That batch had especially poor germination rates so I thought maybe they'd been chilled too long. Maybe they can tolerate being chilled in the hip longer than in paper towels..I think I read that there is something in the hip pulp that inhibits germination. I know that once they sprout in the fridge, you can't keep them in there indefinitely because the little sprouts need light. I just don't have a lot of space for light set-ups, unless I went vertical and rigged up a tall wire shelf with lights on each level. Hmm..I think maybe that's an option.

Do you know of any seed parent dud lists? I know Paul Barden has a list of good seed parents which is helpful. I'd like a list of duds so I don't waste my time on them.
From last year I could eliminate a number of varieties but it's too early to tell if those varieties are duds or if something else caused them not to sprout. I did get about 15 seedlings, of which I have a few plants now. But I planted lots of seeds. ARe you harvesting hips yet?
Linda

The chrome rack from Costco seems to be the way to go for many indoor plant growing people. I know there are many orchid people who use this, and it does very well for me in my basement work room (aka., The Grow Room), except I had to leave off one of the shelves in order to have room for my bottle greenhouses and the lights . . . but I was mainly using mine for rooting dormant cuttings. I had one shelf devoted to seeds. Our old brick, unheated basement has been the ideal space to garden indoors. If I need colder (but not freezing) space, I used the workbench in the attached garage. If everything goes according to plan, by the end of next week we'll have the greenhouse mostly finished (she says, with her fingers crossed).

I was reading an article early this year (while I had seeds under lights) in an old ARS annual that talked about how to increase germination in rose seeds. It said after the initial cold period (which I had done already) there should be the expected flurry of germinations, but things will begin to taper off and eventually stop. Put the flat back into the fridge for another couple of weeks, take it back out, and more seeds should germinate after that.

In another article in a different annual, Dr. Van Fleet, talks about leaving his seed beds for 2 full years -- and that he would get scattered germinations all that time. I believe I read somewhere that Ralph Moore may do the same thing, but don't quote me on this one. I know Dr. Van Fleet had open seed beds outdoors in Maryland. I guess he was relying on winter weather to stratify his seeds.

I had planned to work with only a few selected hips this year, but I've already veered from that path. With almost 200 roses still to plant, it seemed silly to generate seedlings to have to baby. But the little baby roses are so little and cute, and it's so rewarding to watch them grow into bigger roses and flower. I'm watching some hips on Old Blush, Honey Perfume, Souvenir du Dr. Jamain, and some others that I can't recall right now. But . . . this weekend I took a huge hip from Robert's Madame Gregoire Staechlin (the thing looked like a fig!) and I cleaned the seeds and put them in the crisper.

So much for my plan. :)

Connie

I have a wire shelf thing, so guess I should put it to work. It's in my unheated laundry room so maybe that would be a plus. How cold does your basement get?

Sounds like I need to be harvesting some hips now before they get too mushy but four months in the fridge sounds like a long time. Winter sowing outdoors is worth a try too..less work I bet.
Linda

Here's a photo of the set-up, for those who may not have seen it before:

I believe in doing things very simply. No fancy lights or complicated procedures. Cheap shop lights from HD, daylight-type fluorescent bulbs, and a Christmas light timer to turn the lights on and off automatically. Be sure to keep the seedling really close to the light -- within a few inches, so they don't have to stretch to try to reach it. In my case, the light is mounted at the top of the shelf space, and I put the seedling flats or pots on stuff like boxes, or shims, or whatever I have handy to lift them up toward the light, and I remove things to lower them as they get taller. Or you could hang your light from chain to make it easier to raise it as needed.

One day I may try winter sowing outdoors . . . after all, aren't gardeners just mad scientists at heart?

Connie

Connie

Robert

Also, something I hadn't noticed before- he said to give the seeds a two month period of warm stratification in sand before giving them the two month cold treatment. That's perfect for what I wanted since I didn't want my seedlings to sprout too quickly. I'm going to try that, and switch to sand. Also the enzyme treatment sounds worth a try. His site is at home.neo.rr.com/kuska

It sounded to me like he has had the best results picking hips when they are not just starting to turn orange, but are definitely orange, and still firm.

Linda

I like to read Henry's site too, I could spend hours there.

I have been using sand for my seeds for awaile now and I believe the sand keeps the seeds from getting moldy also they germinate well in the sand. What containers does everyone use to store your seeds in?

Hi Linda,

I like to read Henry's site too, I could spend hours there.

I have been using sand for my seeds for awaile now and I believe the sand keeps the seeds from getting moldy also they germinate well in the sand. What kind of containers does everyone use to store their seeds in?

I found these plastic stackable containers that I think I might use for this time, I was using little plastic baby food containers which worked ok. These stackable containers are about 3 inches round and I can save on space with these.

Thanks,
Carla

Patricia Holloway's is in a link above.

You can also check out the Rose Hybridizer Association's forum.
http://www.rosehybridizers.org/

(BTW, cannabis isn't here anymore.)

Connie