There is some question as to whether seeds that float are viable. I plant them anyway but have never kept records to see if they germinate of not. It's also thought that frozen seeds don't germinate. However, I know that I have used seed that was kept frozen by a friend for at least a year in his freezer and they germinated just fine. Besides, in nature they're usually frozen over the winter before they germinate in the spring. So I say it's worth a try. And I don't think soaking in hot water will be of any help at all.

There are many threads on here about how to germinate the seeds. I suggest you do a search and read some of them because there are many ways to do it.

I clean the seeds, and I mean scrub them clean. You want to make sure you get all of the hip material off because it can inhibit germination. Once they're cleaned I wrap them in a damp paper towel and place them in a zip bag and put them in the fridge. After about 4 weeks I start to check them. Normally I start to get some germinations around 6 weeks but you never know. It also depends on the variety of rose and I don't know anything about rugosas. Once they germinate I place them into seed starter trays and let them grow until they have two sets of true leaves. Then I put them into large clear drinking cups, with holes in the bottoms, until they are big enough to pot into a 1 gallon pot. As I said I don't know anything about rugosas but usually once blooming seedlings can take up to 3 years to bloom the first time.

Now go read how some others do it because there are a lot of different methods and you need to find the one that works for you. Enjoy!

seil z6b MI,
Thank you so much. After I soaked them in hot water, 50% sink in water now. I will try your method. After they germinate, I plan to just put them in my yard and let them grow naturally.

The ol' soaking-the-seed "sink or float test" is a prime case of pervasive pseudo-science which has become so deeply entrenched within the "common knowledge" preconception of the public, that even many PROFESSIONAL horticultural authors (those with academic training) continue to peddle this nonsense within their publications.

(To paraphrase a personally-modified version of my favorite adages: "If you repeat a lie often enough without challenging it, it eventually becomes doctrinal truth.")

Essentially, this long-standing horticultural myth goes like this: When you soak your seeds overnight in a jar filled with fresh water (a form of 'scarification', to help initiate the process of softening an otherwise hard external seed coat, before sowing the seed), those seeds which sink to the bottom of the jar are presumably "viable", while those which float on the top of the water are considered "duds" (dead or infertile).

Let me say this, here, and now: This is utter hogwash, because it blatantly ignores the vast diversity of evolutionary adaptations to seed structures. That is to say - that not all seeds (from various plant families/genera/species) are created equal. Some plants have SPECIFICALLY evolved their embryonic progeny (their seeds) to VERY DELIBERATELY float on water (e.i. - to be carried away by swift current) as a way to expand their territorial distribution; a strategy to improve the prospect of their offspring's ongoing survival. But if such seeds were to sink right to the bottom of a stream, river, or creek, then the prospect of their territorial spread would be significantly hampered.

In other adaptational models, some seeds have evolved to be carried aloft by air, through wind dispersal, by employing "parachute"-like protruding tufts of silky, thin fibers ('pappus', for the scientific term, or alternative, 'coma'), and these light, ultra-fine, hair-like fibers will also keep the seed afloat should it happen to drift into a body of water. The genus of Asclepias ("milkweed") is an excellent example of such specialized seed structures. Taraxacum ("dandelions") is another.

Heck, even among some plants belonging to the very same genus, such as Rosa ("rose"), one species of roses can yield seeds that tend to float (such as R. rugosa, "Beach Rose"), and another species of roses can yield seeds which tend to sink (such as R. pimpinellifolia, "Burnet Rose.") Hence, demonstrating how dynamically-variable these evolutionary adaptions are from plant to plant.

In summary, the pervasive "sink or float seed-soaking viability test" SHOULD have been debunked and laid to rest, a long time ago. Because the Plant Kingdom is highly diversified, and that includes seed structures and their inherently variable environmental interactions. The short of it: Some seeds were meant to sink, others were meant to float, and others still will RANDOMLY do both. And yet, they may ALL still be viable, just the same.

This renders the "sink or float test" not only grossly unreliable, but purely fictitious (and also, sadly wasteful, because who knows how many billions of viable seeds have been wrongfully discarded through such a fallacious notion).

Still, the BIGGEST embarrassment of all, by far, is that even some prominent members of the horticultural/botanical community continue to dispense this myth to the public, when they should otherwise be reliable sources of competent information.

The take-home message: Pre-soak your seeds and sow *all* of them, regardless of which ones "sink" and which ones "float." Nature will know best on how to sort out the duds, not you.

(NOTE: Short of using sophisticated low-power radiographic imaging apparatus to look deep into a seed's cross-section/internal structure, and non-destructively so, determining seed viable/fertility to 100% accuracy is virtually impossible.)

I winter sowed seeds that I received. It is my first time winter sowing anything. I did it because I had so many seeds and had no where to plant them up and keep in my house when sprouted. I did not harvest these seeds, so can’t speak to that. I put mine out in Dec. I live in South Ga and we actually had snow this year. My seeds have sprouted and are growing strong! It’s so exciting. My first roses from seed!!

The cups have holes in them as does the container they are in. I chose this way because of the number of seeds. I have a numbered list with the rose cross varieties and numbered the cups to match. I don’t know your zone, but if you are in the north, I bet you could do this. I cut out the center of the lid and covered it with plastic. Put lots of tears in the plastic for rain to get in. Since you don’t have a huge number of seeds, you could use milk jugs or other containers. Winter sowing fascinates me. Natures timing. Igor, I enjoyed your post. I think sometimes we make things harder than they have to be. I tried every method known to man to root cuttings. No success. Hovering and killing myself. One day I stuck a bunch in pine bark fines (soil conditioner) wet it, left the pots against my chain link fence, in dappled light. Rain poured on them, tornado winds, even a hurricane! They rooted! Quickly! Now I have almost a 100% success rate. Granted I am working with roses that probably are known to work well, but I think nature just did her thing. (The bark fines drain really well too). I have all types of shrubs in pots that have just been out all winter. Uncovered and I am seeing green growth on them. I do not use a rooting hormone. I also live in the south with high humidity. Not the same for everyone. I stuck rose cuttings in the winter in pots, in my unheated hoop house. They have new growth now. I am not a master gardener, just someone that loves to play and learn.

gagal, you are the master at propagating! How thrilling to have the seeds sprout! : ) I'm still waiting for my eureka moment, but I change the variables often, so it may take a while.