In one of my posts i mentioned keeping some R. Glauca seeds in my car for 1.5 years. I lived in salt lake city at the time and my car was left in the sun during the summers. Im reading that the car temps could get hotter than 123 F. After stratifying them for about 2 years, one of them germinated.
It looks odd to me, but i am hopeful that itll grow. Its been this size for weeks now. Ive read that heat treatment can mess with epigenetics. Im interested to see what will come of the little baby seedling. Has anybody had experience with germinating seeds exposed to repeated high heat?
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That is pretty amazing to hear. I would have given them up for gone.
I have left Texas wildflower seeds in my car that I had collected by the side of the road and forgot about, and subsequently had no luck with them. (Admittedly, a TX vehicle left in the sun is probably a bit more brutal, but roses shouldn’t be as well adapted for that kind of abuse…)
I have had phenomenal germination rates from years old dessicated seeds of species roses in the past, but that doesn’t address you question…
Crazy update after about 2.5 years now, another seed has germinated and this one didnt abort and is pushing out leaves. Still part of the seeds that were kept in my car in the heat and cold. Itll be interesting to see how it develops. I did a little bit of reading and found that heat treatment in Arabidopsis thaliana (mustard) seeds leads to increased resilience in the seedlings due to epigenetic changes. I wonder if it translates to roses… either way, ill keep yall updated.
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Shhh… don’t tell the folks who are afraid to let rose seeds dry out before sowing!
Seriously, though, that’s impressive.
Your growing medium looks nice, too. Is that a commercial mix? I blend my own, but screened bark would be a nice addition, and I’m not a big fan of vermiculite or Perlite except for rooting applications.
Stefan
I use commercial mixes, i always choose raised bed mixes. I dont use a specific one, but i find they provide plenty of drainage for the roses.
