You never know what your new rose will look like, they rarely are a close duplicate to the mother plant. One rose hip can produce seeds that are totally different from each other. The only way to get a clone is to do cuttings, budding or grafting.

1. Leave the first blooms to form hips thru the season. A. If hybridizing, do it with the first blooms.
2. Before a hard frost, or when hips turn color, remove them from the bush. Some hips do not turn red.
3. Open the hip, and remove the seeds. Some hips are very hard, using a knife will not harm the seeds, some people clean them in a blender!
4. Using a strainer, rinse the seeds while pressing and rubbing them into the mesh of the strainer, you want to remove all the pulp coating that keeps the seeds from sprouting.
5. Place the seeds in a container (pill bottle, film container, etc.).
6. Add peroxide to cover the seeds well. Shake the bottle and seeds.
7. Let sit at room temperature for a day.
8. Shake the bottle vigorously.
9. Pour the seeds into the strainer, rinse well, again pressing the seeds into the mesh of the strainer.
10. There are 2 ways I have used for the next step. To prepare for stratification:
    • You can use some moist peat moss or soilesss potting mix, etc., and the same container you used to soak the seeds. Just add about a tablespoon of the mix and up to 100 seeds, cover and shake to mix well.
    • In this second method, you use a piece of moist paper towel, place the seeds on one half of the towel, cover with the other half, fold the edges, and place in a baggie. I use the sandwich type bags. Then put those bags in a zip lock type bag. For both methods, place the seeds in the fridge.
11. THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO REMEMBER: PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE.
12. Check your seeds for the first time at about 1 1/2 months. It will take at least this amount of time before you see a sprout. Usually it will take at least 2+ months. Then check weekly. When they start to sprout, check every other day.
13. As you find the sprouts, carefully remove them from the mix or towel. (I have had roots grow thru the paper toweling!) The white growth is the root, and it is very easy to damage it. Use a pair of tweezers, or your fingers and remove the sprouted seed by the seed pod. I pot my seeds in numerous types of containers. Ones with a type of lid, a dome lid is great. I have also used plastic glasses enclosed in a plastic bag. Regardless, make holes in the bottom of the container for drainage, unless you use a small plant pot. I use Pro Mix to start my seedlings. Make a hole with a pencil in the potting mix a little deeper than the root is long, and have the top of the seed just at the surface. Mix some peroxide in water and water the seed in very carefully, I use an eye dropper or a spoon. Put the lid on the container, or enclose in a plastic baggie.
14. When the seedlings have touched the top of the container, or have their 2nd set of leaves in the plastic baggie, you can open the container and place about 2" from your source of light. The further away the seedling is from the light, the lankier it will be. If you do not have grow lights, you can use florescent lights with one warm light and one cool light. Plants need the red and blue rays to grow properly. BE SURE TO KEEP THE LITTLE GUYS MOIST, NOT WET, AT ALL TIMES. Mist them often. Have good ventilation.
15. You can prune the seedlings to bush them out as they grow, when they are a bout 3 or 4 inches tall, or you can wait till they are larger and you see how they are developing, this is what I prefer to do.
16. When your seedlings have several sets of leaves, you can start a very weak fertilizer solution, like 1/4 strength, once every few weeks.
17. Remember to mist the plants often, this will discourage spider mites. Watch for Black Spot and/or mildew, if you have good ventilation this should not be a problem. Spider mites are usually the biggest threat. They like dry still air, misting the seedlings on top and bottom of the leaves will pretty much take care of spider mites.
18. When the seedlings are outgrowing their container, pot them up into a proportionately larger pot, being VERY CAREFUL of their delicate roots.
19. When you are ready to plant outdoors, be sure all danger of frost has passed, and gradually introduce them to the sun. Personally, I like to keep the seedlings in a pot till I feel they are of a size to be able to take being planted in Mother Earth. You will need a good loose soil, amended with compost for good root growth and to supply the microorganisms and nutrients your babies need to grow up to be strong happy roses. Keep them moist, not wet. Until they develop a good root system, they will need to be watered often, carry this routine thru the whole first year.
20. Sit back and see what you and God have created...........hopefully you have some wonderful plants that you can puff your chest up and say, "I started this rose from a seed!".

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    Copyright © Joan Gotlibson, MRS Member
    Last Updated by Sari Hou, February 18, 2005