A good portion of my baby seedlings are puny and diseased. Do most of you cull them out now, or wait to see the first bloom?
Thanks,
Gail
If you don’t get rid of them now, they will die anyway. Even if they bloom, you wouldn’t want to keep plants that are sickly. Blooms aren’t guaranteed. Some roses don’t bloom until they bulk up. You want to breed for healthy roses. On the other hand I find that some species roses have very delicate leaves when they’re young, that mildew under lights, but once outside many are as healthy as their parents. I find this is the case with rugosa & multiflora hybrids. I’ve just discovered some seedlings that I discarded because of mildew. They’ve decided to to keep growing, so I’m potting them up and giving them another chance. They were happier outside in the cold nights.
Hi Gail:
I don’t always wait for puny and diseased seedlings to bloom, but if the seedlings are from a desirable cross, I do wait. Even diseased seedlings can have some desirable traits that you may want to carry forward through future (and hopefully) cleaner and more vigorous generations.
Good luck!
Jim