Content
You can grow rose hips from seeds at home without seedlings. The grains are collected in August, when the fruits are not yet ripe, and are immediately sent for stratification in a dark, cool and humid place. They can be sown in open ground before winter and then mulched with sawdust. In the spring, when shoots appear, regular watering should be provided. After two leaves appear, they are picked and continued to be watered, feeding if necessary.
Is it possible to grow rose hips from seeds?
Growing rose hips from seeds is carried out in two ways:
- Planting rosehip seeds in open ground in the fall.
- Spring procedure in April-May after stratification.
Growing rose hips from seeds in open ground is possible immediately after harvesting in August. If you delay and purchase seed, for example, in early October, you can also plant it in the ground. To do this, make several rows and bury the seeds 1–2 cm, mulch and wait for the first shoots next spring.This method is used for growing wild species, as well as winter-hardy varieties.
The second option (spring planting) can be considered universal, since it allows you to grow both wild and cultivated rose hips. Seeds are purchased in autumn or winter and sent for stratification in the refrigerator (for at least three months). Then they are germinated and planted in the ground in the second half of spring, when the soil has time to warm up to +8–10 degrees °C.
Timing of sowing seeds
To grow rosehip from a seed, it needs to be planted on time. The timing depends on the growing method:
- For direct sowing in the ground - immediately after collecting the seeds (late August - early September).
- If you collect material for artificial stratification, at the end of summer it is placed in boxes with soil and taken to a cool place, for example, in a cellar or in a refrigerator.
- In spring, sowing in open ground is carried out at the end of April or at the beginning of May. In the south it is 1–2 weeks earlier, in Siberia and the Far East - on the contrary, later.
How to grow rose hips from seeds at home
Growing rose hips at home consists of several stages. The seeds of this plant are covered with a very dense skin. To destroy it, it is necessary to keep the planting material in a humid environment in cool conditions. First, the seed is sent for stratification, then for germination, and then planted in the ground.
Seed preparation and stratification
The first stage of breeding rose hips with seeds is stratification, i.e. imitation of wintering. To do this, take seed purchased in a store or collected yourself and mix it with fertile, light, well-moistened soil.This can be universal soil for seedlings or your own mixture of surface soil, black peat, humus and sand (ratio 2:1:1:1).
Instead, you can use wet sand, which is pre-calcined. If you are not sure, you can also disinfect the soil mixture by watering it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Other ways are to put it in the freezer for a week or keep it in the oven for 15–20 minutes at a temperature of 130–150 degrees.
Sequencing:
- The container with the seed is kept at room temperature for several days so that the rosehip seeds have time to swell.
- Then cover it with a tight lid or film. Place in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf with vegetables.
- In this form, the seed for cultivation is kept for one to three months (if necessary, longer), until planting as seedlings or in open ground.
- During storage, the soil must be monitored and periodically sprayed with a sprayer.
If possible, it is better to arrange a two-stage stratification for growing plants. At the first stage, planting material is kept in soil or sand for four months (from late August to late December) at a temperature of 12–15 degrees. On the second – another four months (from the first days of January to the last ten days of April) in the refrigerator at a temperature of +3–5°C. It is under such conditions that maximum germination is observed.
The fruits are planted to a depth of 2 cm, and sawdust, straw, pine needles or other mulch are placed on top.
How to germinate rosehip seeds
Before sowing, rosehip seeds can be germinated. This is an optional but desirable step.In order for the grains to smoothly emerge from cool conditions and become active for growth, they are wrapped in a damp cloth and left in a bright room at room temperature (18–20 degrees Celsius). As soon as the sprouts hatch, they can be planted in an open bed (at the end of April) for further cultivation.
How to plant rose hips with seeds
To grow plants, choose an open, sunny place with fertile soil. The area is cleaned, dug up, and if necessary, fertilizer is applied (a bucket of compost or humus per 1–2 m2). To plant grains, proceed as follows:
- Carefully level the surface with a rake or other tool.
- Several shallow (up to 3 cm) grooves are formed at a distance of 5 cm from each other.
- Plant seeds to a depth of 2 cm at intervals of 5 cm.
- For the winter, mulch with sawdust, peat, straw or other mulch (in the case of autumn cultivation).
Aftercare
To successfully propagate rose hips by seeds at home, it is necessary to provide proper care:
- In early spring, the mulch is removed.
- They install a frame with film or agrofibre to provide a normal microclimate for the seedlings.
- Regularly water the plantings with warm, settled water. The soil should remain slightly moist - it should not dry out.
- Also, for normal cultivation, you need to pick the crops on time. As soon as the seedlings have 2 leaves, they are transferred to a permanent place.
- After the night temperature stops falling below 10–12 degrees Celsius, the film can be removed.
Picking is done in the early stages of cultivation, when each seedling has at least two leaves
In the first year of cultivation, it is not necessary to give fertilizers (if the soil is fertile enough).If the soil is depleted, you can apply urea or other nitrogen fertilizer, observing the dosage (15–20 g per 10 l for watering 1 m2 crops). It is also very important to keep the soil moist during the first stage of growing. To do this, you need to water regularly and also use mulch, which will protect the soil from drying out and temperature changes.
For successful cultivation, plantings are mulched with sawdust, humus, and straw (layer height 5–10 cm). When the bushes grow up, they can be wrapped in agrofibre for the winter and dry leaves sprinkled inside.
When and how to collect seeds for sowing
To grow a rosehip bush, it is important to know the timing and rules for collecting rosehip seeds. The material must be harvested from unripe berries - as soon as they begin to turn red. The timing may vary depending on the characteristics of the variety and the climate of the region. In some cases it is the end of July or the beginning of August, in others it is the last days of summer.
Seeds for cultivation are collected from those fruits that have just begun to ripen
All grains must be thoroughly washed and cleared of pulp. They are then laid in a single layer in a ventilated area and dried for several days. The grains can be sent for stratification for subsequent planting in the spring or sown in a garden bed to overwinter in natural conditions.
The grains are immediately planted in fertile, light soil or in calcined sand: otherwise they may not germinate next spring. Those. The sooner you start stratification, the better.
Conclusion
It is quite possible to grow rose hips from seeds. A cellar or a regular refrigerator is suitable for stratification. The process takes three to six months. Therefore, cultivation must be planned in advance: seeds begin to be prepared as early as August. It is better to purchase seed material in a store, this will guarantee good germination and compliance of the crop with the declared characteristics.
