How to Grow Roses From Dry Seed

The good news is that rose seeds remain viable in dry storage for up to four years, depending on species. Of course a seed fresh from the rose's hip germinates faster, but a dry seed is not necessarily a dead one. Determine if the dry rose seed is still viable by soaking it in a bowl of water for 24 hours. If it floats to the top of the water, it's not viable and should be discarded. If it remains at the bottom of the bowl, pot it up and you're on the way to becoming a rosarian.

Small bowl
Hydrogen peroxide
Nursery pot
Sand, vermiculite or both
Spray bottle
Plastic wrap
Grow lights
Rose food

Instructions

- 1
  Drain the water from the seed and pour hydrogen peroxide over it. Allow the rose seed to soak for 24 hours and then rinse it with tap water.
- 2
  Fill a nursery pot with sand or vermiculite or equal parts of both, combined well. Moisten the medium thoroughly.
- 3
  Plant the rose seed 1/2 inch deep. Don't firm the soil over the seed, just lightly cover it.
- 4
  Spray the top 1 inch of the planting medium with a mixture of 3 parts of water and 1 part hydrogen peroxide. Cover the nursery pot with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Allow it to remain there for six weeks.
- 5
  Place the pot 6 inches beneath grow lights that remain on for 16 hours a day. Keep the soil barely moist at all times. Look for the rose seed to sprout within six weeks.
- 6
  Continue to keep the soil moist and the lights on while the seedling grows. When it has its third set of leaves, fertilize it with a standard rose fertilizer, diluted to one-fourth the strength listed on the fertilizer package.
- 7
  Transplant the rose seedling into the garden the following spring, just after the last frost in your region.

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