When do I need to start cold stratifying my rose seeds. I live in Mesquite, Texas. I may have started cross pollinating too early, for I fear the hips will develop seeds too early and if I set them in the fridge for three months it will still be too cold too set them outside. Could I possibly, save them for a couple of months in a baggy and then stratify them so by the time I need to plant them it will be around late may. Would they survive like that?
The way I look at it since I started in May my hips will be ripe in September. Add three months and its December, which will be too cold and will continue to be cold until April-May.
Yeah I was so eager to get into the garden that I may have jumped the gun a little.
Generally speaking, hips can be stored in the frig for a long time and they don’t seem to know that anything is happenieng. It is only when you take the seeds out and put them in moist peat mosss or such that the time for stratification begins counting. How fast they will want to germinate depends entirely on what the parents are. But if your frig is very cold, near freezing, it will take longer than at a somewhat warmer temp. In Celsius it is 5 degrees that is optimum, that’s about 41 F and typical of most refrigerators. But the meat keeper may be nearer to 0. You have to check with a good thermometer. I’m in process of writing a review of all known papers on germination. That’s a quick summary.
Cool thanks. I was just sorta bummed after being so happy about crossing for the first time. So I can store the hips until like February beging stratification and have them hopefully ready somewhere around May.
Thanks again