How to plant roses from seed or "false fruit"

Roses, queens of the garden, but how and when to sow them? How to plant the seed or rosehip and how to care for it until it sprouts

Roses, queens of the garden, but how and when to sow them? How to plant the seed or rosehip and how to care for it until it sprouts

La pink it needs no introduction. It is absolutely one of the most beautiful and loved flowers, in all ages and at any latitude. Elegance, delicacy and grace beautifully combined, perfectly fused on a stem of thorns to release an unmistakable scent and fill the eyes with wonder.





It is the flower that more than any other, with its different colors, represents love in all its forms: from the romantic one to the purity of sentiment, from passionate love to that clouded by jealousy. Here because grow roses in pots or in the garden and taking care of them is a rewarding activity, which satisfies the senses and refreshes the spirit. (Read also: Time to prune roses! Techniques and tips to do it right)

Index

Rose from seed

Most of the roses we find in nurseries are obtained through vegetative reproduction, i.e. by grafting or cutting. But only with the use of the reproduction by seed unique varieties can be obtained, which are distinguished from all the others by shape, color, bearing, perfume and re-flowering.

plant roses, the first operation to be carried out obviously consists in obtaining i semi.

Keep in mind that they also exist infertile varieties of roses. Those obtained through different hybridizations, in fact, generally do not produce seeds. Therefore it is necessary to look for the wild roses (such as rugosa or dog rose).

Sowing roses: the rosehip or "false fruit"

I rose seeds are contained in the rose-hip, the so-called "false fruit", a small berry that appears after withering. First of all, therefore, you need to get the rosehip. When not yet ripe, this berry is green in color, then takes on an orange, red or purple hue. When it dries, however, the color of the false fruit turns brown, but by that point the seeds it contains may already be dead.


How to plant roses from seed or

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If we already own a rose plant, our task will be easier. Otherwise we can buy the seeds in nurseries and in specialized centers.

The best time to find seeds is autumn, when the berries are ripe and the temperatures drop. As we will see, rose seeds need cold to germinate.

Once the rosehip has been identified, it must be opened to extract the rose seeds that we are going to plant.

The advice is to rcut the top of the berry with a knife and then make two opposite incisions in the longitudinal direction. Not all rose hips are the same: some contain a few seeds, others carry a few dozen.

To have a better chance of success, it is recommended to use as many seeds as possible, perhaps after a careful selection that will allow us to discard those that even to the naked eye appear dry or slightly turgid.

A method that is sometimes recommended for verify the fertility of a seed consists of immersing it in a glass of water. Any buoyancy would be a clear indication of infertility. In reality this method is not very reliable. There are some species of roses, in fact, whose seeds float anyway.

Once the seeds have been extracted, to make them germinate their stratification is necessary, carried out cold through a process called "vernalization“, Also implemented by professionals in the sector.

If, on the other hand, the seeds were purchased in the nursery, it is important to make sure that stratification has taken place, and, if necessary, go directly to the sowing phase.

Rose seeds: the conditions for germinating them

To make roses bloom, in fact, it is not enough to plant their seeds in the earth and wait for the first buds to appear. Some precise conditions are necessary. Specifically, for rose seeds to take root, they need:



  • vernalization: the rose seeds are in a state of dormancy, which can only be interrupted by recreating the climatic conditions typical of winter. Hence, the name vernalization. If necessary, the cold must be artificially reproduced, through dedicated greenhouses or in the refrigerator at home.
  • temperature: rather low temperatures, between 4 and 10 degrees centigrade, are able to awaken the seeds, breaking their outer shell and making them germinate
  • humidity: in addition to the cold, rose seeds need a soil that is kept constantly humid, while avoiding water stagnation
  • oxygen: in order to germinate, seeds do not need light. However, the substrate in which they are buried must be capable of circulating oxygen. On the market, there are special soils. Alternatively, we can compose it by mixing peat and sand.

Before the actual stratification, it is advisable to eliminate any excess pulp of the seeds, placing them in a colander or in a small sieve and rinsing them under running water.

At this point you can do a preventive soaking against molds, dipping the seeds in water and bleach or water added with bicarbonate.

Cold stratification (vernalization) of rose seeds

Now our seeds are ready for layering, which can be done in various ways. Professionals put them in a seedbed, placed in turn in a greenhouse where the temperature is kept cold and constant.

We will have to adapt to more homemade methods, but no less effective. The simplest technique consists in using sheets of paper such as scottex, preferably without decorations to avoid the transmission of the coloring pigments to the seeds.

These sheets should be soaked in water, filled with seeds and placed in plastic food bags. At this point the seeds, placed between 2 sheets of wet paper to maintain the right humidity, will need a temperature that simulates the winter one.

They will therefore be placed in the refrigerator, perhaps in the drawer for vegetables, however isolating them from other foods to avoid contamination.

Every now and then we will go to check that there is the necessary humidity and that i seeds do not produce mold. If they have formed, the seeds must be removed and rinsed under running water before being placed back in the refrigerator.

La stratified it can also be done by placing the paper filled with seeds in a food container or glass jar. The soaked paper can also be replaced by a layer of sand or damp sawdust, on which to lay the seeds. Then the sand or sawdust will be placed inside the plastic bags for food or in glass jars.

All these techniques are the same as long as the seeds come kept at a low temperature and subjected to aconstant humidity. So, whatever method you choose, remember to put the seeds in the refrigerator and constantly check the humidity level.

Sowing of roses

The aforementioned procedure has the purpose of vernalizing the seeds, making them germinate and preparing them for planting. After a couple of months, in fact, we will see a radicle sprout from our seeds. It's time to plant them, burying them in small pots, 2-3 centimeters deep and placing them at a distance of about 5 centimeters from each other.

How to plant roses from seed or

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The substrate must be composed preferably from peat and a little soil, so that the seedling, looking for the nutrients, is forced to take root in depth. After a few weeks, the cotyledons, that is the first two embryonic leaflets, will sprout, followed at a short distance by the actual leaves.

After the development of the leaves, which is generally accompanied by a good growth of the root system, the seedlings can be transplanted in the ground or in larger pots.

Repotting of rose seedlings

This operation it must be done in winter, after the last frost, or in spring, however avoiding the vegetative period. Sometimes it takes time before the transplant can be done. It can take up to a year or two for the rose to germinate.

How to plant roses from seed or

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In the meantime, the soil must be kept moist, avoiding stagnation of the soil, which can be very harmful to the plant.

Roses also need to enjoy the sunlight for approx 6 hours a day and a temperature between i 16 and 21 builds.

For the repotting, it is necessary to dig a hole in the chosen location that is large enough to accommodate the root plow. The hole must be filled with soil to be overgrown and watered immediately after having carried out the transplant.

When the seedlings have taken root, they will need to be treated and watered regularly, perhaps fertilizing them with a little slow release fertilizer.

If you want to learn more, read also:

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