I have read a few previous topics saying it doesn’t seem to make much difference if you don’t stratify ripe hips straight away. What does everyone on here do? I had seedlings up in late December (which I don’t mind if it’s a small number as I have a small grow light but in the UK this is winter time) how long do people keep them/ does viability fall?
If conditions aren’t too hot, it would take a fairly long time for seed viability to fall. I remove the achenes from the hips to dry (usually after scratching the outer aril), and leave them out at room temperature for months until I’m ready to begin stratification. I seem to get much better germination that way, compared to placing freshly harvested achenes straight into either cold or warm stratification.
Lately, I’ve been waiting longer to begin stratifying them specifically in order to delay germination. For me, having rose seedlings indoors too early means months of increasingly difficult pest management (spider mites and sometimes aphids) and watering challenges, not to mention simply running out of space as the germinations mount while nothing can safely go outside.
Stefan
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