Mike's Backyard Nursery

The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Bibs On!

  • Home
  • Recommended Tools
  • Products
  • Categories
    • Complete Guides
    • Gardening
    • Growing
    • Landscape Design
    • Plant Care
    • Propagation
  • Contact
  • About Mike
Home » Gardening » How to Propagate Roses From Seed

How to Propagate Roses From Seed

Updated : November 17, 2015

8 Comments

Rose propagation can be an interesting hobby for those who enjoy growing these beautiful flowers. To produce plants that are exact duplicates of the parent plant one would propagate roses with cuttings. But rose propagation from seeds can be a fun experiment, even though this propagation method does not produce duplicates of the parent plant.

Fall is a good time to start this rose propagation project, and it is especially good to wait until after a hard freeze to collect the rose hips from your rose plants. If the hips are clipped off the plant before it is dormant, it may encourage the plant to put on tender new growth that could be damaged over winter. It generally takes about four months for rose hips to mature enough to produce viable seeds that would be suitable for rose propagation.

The first step in rose propagation from seed is to gather the rose hips. Rose hips are the round, slightly flattened or elongated seed pods that form when roses are allowed to mature on the plant. If all of the roses have been picked for bouquets, the plant cannot produce rose hips, so if you want to try propagating roses from seed, plan ahead and leave some blooms to mature on the plant.

Depending on the type of rose plant, rose hips will generally turn orange, yellow, red or brown when they are mature. Gather plump rose hips that remain on the plant and do not collect rose hips that have fallen to the ground. Rose hips that have fallen off the plant are generally not useful for rose propagation.

If it is time to gather rose hips but you won’t have time to begin your rose seed propagation experiment right away, whole hips may be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.

When you are ready to begin the rose propagation process, cut each rose hip in half and remove the seeds. Rose hips may contain anywhere from one to forty seeds per hip. Once the seeds are removed from the hips, rinse off as much of the pulp as you can by gathering a handful of the seeds in your hands and rubbing them together under running water.

Alternately, the seeds can be soaked overnight in a container of water, then rinsed and placed in a food processor. Using the dough-blending attachment, gently mix the seeds to remove the pulp from the seeds. Do not use a sharp blade for this step as it would damage the seeds. Rinse and strain the seeds again after this process.

Once the pulp has been removed, place the seeds in a plastic bag along with some damp peat moss and keep them in a warm room for about four weeks. If some mold appears within the bag, that’s fine. It will help break down the very hard shell of the seeds so they can more easily germinate.

After the four week warm stratification, move the bag of seeds into the refrigerator for another six weeks of cold stratification. This six-week cold stratification is an imitation winter for the seeds.

The next step for rose propagation with seeds is to plant all of the seeds in a flat. Some of the seeds may be showing signs of germination at this point, while others will not. Plant each seed about a half inch deep and an inch apart, using either sand or vermiculite as a planting medium.

Keep the planting medium moist but not soggy while the seeds germinate, and keep them in a fairly cool area where the temperature is about 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. While the seeds are sprouting you may need to spray with a fungicide if any mold develops on the seedlings or the planting medium. Roses are fungus magnets, and lack of disease resistance can be an issue with seed-grown roses.

Some of the seeds will begin to germinate right away, while others may not sprout for two or three months. Germination rates will vary widely, with some cultivars showing a germination rate as low as ten percent and others sprouting at a much higher rate. Rose propagation from seeds is not for the impatient gardener.

When the seedlings develop their first true leaves, they can be potted up. Once potted, give them a weak dose of fertilizer with every other watering. To help deter fungus, water the planting medium and avoid getting the leaves wet with overhead watering. Keep the seedlings in a warm area where the temperature is at least 70 degrees and give them plenty of direct light for sixteen hours each day.

Do not expect that seed-grown rose plants will be identical to the parent plant. Chances are that rose plants grown from seeds will be very different from the parent plant. Seeds from any one plant will produce a wide range of bush shapes, from climbers to shrubs or ramblers.

Flower color will also vary, with pink being the most common. Rose propagation from seed is also done by hybridizers, but in that case it is a long, complex process. When done by the home gardener, it is simply a fun experiment that will give you some unique and inexpensive rose plants for your garden.

Take a gander at these posts...

  • Pruning Azalea Bushes
  • Growing Japanese Maples
  • It’s time to Make Baby Plants! Make Baby Plants! Make Baby Plants!
  • Do You Have Shotgun Fungus?
  • Tree Stump Removal Instructions

Comments

  1. Carmelita Bernardo says

    January 23, 2016 at 7:05 pm

    Can I still try to do rootings for roses at this time of the year? It is almost end of January and we started to have the rains more than a month ago. I was successful in rooting roses before, but I did them in smaller pots and covered them with plastic. That was about 8 years ago. I also noted in your article that 4 or 5 cuttings were stuck in one pot. I did one cutting per pot.. I live in San Ramon, California and part of the SF Bay area.
    Thank you so much for all the info and tricks that you share with us.

    Reply
    • Mike says

      January 24, 2016 at 4:12 pm

      Carmelita,

      I think your best bet with roses is doing them in the summer, even though they can be wrapped in newspaper and rooted when dormant. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2012/02/how-to-grow-roses-from-cuttings/ and this https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2013/10/how-to-grow-roses-from-cuttings-2/

      We put more than one per pot just for rooting, then separate after they are rooted.

      Reply
  2. Kathy says

    June 26, 2015 at 11:31 pm

    Hi, I have been trying to sign up for your newsletter and it is not letting me do that. So I would like to start getting your newsletter. Thank you

    Reply
  3. Donna says

    June 26, 2015 at 3:30 pm

    I’m a new subscriber. I’ve been dividing hostas and daylilies for the past 3 seasons. Having plenty of plants for sale is not a problem. Problem is finding people to buy. My sister in law is a commercial sign designer / maker. I have a sign at end of road (busy road) and another sign in front of house. Plenty of plants out for sale, We’re in an upscale neighborhood …. on a busy road that connects two major roads. I purchase my pots and potting mix from a wholesale supplier (I’m registered as a nursery). Presentation is professional and well done. Sell each plant for less than 1/2 what garden center is charging. How to increase traffic to our sales?

    Reply
    • Mike says

      June 27, 2015 at 7:18 am

      Donna,

      If you don’t have access the The Backyard Growers University you really should get that, it’s packed full of valuable information about how to do this business successfully. That’s the best place to start.

      Reply
  4. Michele says

    June 26, 2015 at 12:57 pm

    I am looking for tripterygium wilfordii, or léi gōng téng (Mandarin) Chinese Japanese: raikōtō), sometimes called thunder god vine but more properly translated thunder duke vine

    Reply
  5. Michele says

    June 26, 2015 at 12:50 pm

    Where is the reasonable place to buy shade cloth 24 feet by a 00 feet and one gallon pots I do have a wholesale license

    Reply
    • Mike says

      June 27, 2015 at 7:28 am

      Michele,

      All of the suppliers that we typically deal with are listed in the wholesale director that comes with access to the Backyard Growers University. http://backyardgrowers.com/ultimate-growers-shortcut/

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Rooted cuttings of variegated weigela in bunches to harden off.

Over Wintering Rooted Cuttings.

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

Mike's Big Perennial Bed.

Mike’s Big Perennial Garden

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

A Profound Thank You from Mike.

Posted On September 1, 2022 By Mike

Finnegan keeping the sun off his head.

An Old Guy, Two Donkeys, a Puppy and a Hammock. What could possibly go wrong?

Posted On July 17, 2022 By Mike

This upside down donkey is a hoot!

An Upside Down Donkey and Cute Puppy.

Posted On July 14, 2022 By Mike

'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm.

‘Rockin Raspberry’ Bee Balm.

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

'Bubblegum Blast' Bee Balm.

‘Bubblegum Blast’ Bee Balm

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Complete Guides

Growing, Rooting and Propagating Dappled Willow in Tree Form from Cuttings.

Growing Seeds, Winter Sowing, in Milk Jugs and Kitty Litter Jugs.

The Correct Way to Pot Rooted Cuttings, Nursery Stock Liners and other Plants.

Training Arborvitae and other Conical Evergreens to Grow with a Single Leader.

How to Propagate, Root Cuttings, of Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

Recent Posts

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

'Blue Angel'hosta is by far one of my favorite blue hostas. A big hosta like this in a perennial bed covers a lot of area and that keeps a ton of weeds at bay! These giant heart shaped leaves are very slug resistant. We have this plant in full sun. With … Read Full Article

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

'Big Daddy' hosta is one of my favorite big hostas, mostly because it's big, it's blue and it has very interested leaves that are a bit dimpled. Big Daddy hosta gets about 24" tall and 36" wide. It's hardy in zones 3 through 9, the flowers are blends of … Read Full Article

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

We sold out of 'Humpback Whale' hosta pretty early this year. Humpback Whale is pretty impressive hosta and this one really hasn't matured yet because they can get three feet high and 7 feet wide. I've also seen photos of them that show them to be a lot … Read Full Article

Ice Plant, delosperma

Ice Plant, delosperma

How pretty is that? And it's a ground hugging perennial that comes back year and year. These plants were new to our nursery last year so Pam and I planted three of them in our landscape at home. Not only did they do really well last year but they wintered … Read Full Article

Electric Red Dianthus

‘Electric Red’ Dianthus

I've been working on my perennial bed at the nursery and this Electric Red Dianthus caught my eye and was screaming "make my picture". So I did! Dianthus in general are great perennials for your garden. They are super winter hardy even here in cold … Read Full Article

Copyright © 2023 · Hill Country Digital Media, LLC · Privacy Policy · Earnings Disclaimer · Terms of Service