Can't get seeds to sprout - what am I doing wrong?

7 years ago

Seeking the next step. I tried for several years to get rose seeds to sprout with no luck,... up until now.

I presently have six big fatties from OP Paul Bocuse placed on top of damp builders sand and in the fridge. They've been there for at least 4 months. I see no evidence of sprouting and do not know my next step.

TIA, Veronica in Central Florida. (Finally cooler! Only 85 today.)

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Comments (4)

roseseek
7 years ago
Hi Veronica! Where to start... First, the seeds on damp builders sand, are they in an enclosed container, or simply sitting on the top of the sand in an open container? If it's open and your refrigerator is frost-free, they are being kept too dry to germinate. If the container is enclosed, you should bury them under the damp sand about a quarter of an inch below the surface. Some people sprout their seeds on damp paper toweling, enclosed in either zip loc baggies or other enclosed containers. The temperature of the refrigerator also makes a difference. The lower the temperature, the longer the seeds hold before germinating. Some will sprout below forty degrees, many won't. Supposedly, germination begins to fall off at temps above 70F, but I see many sprout well up into the eighties.

I would plant them in the sand to about a quarter of an inch depth and make sure the sand is still damp and it is well covered to prevent it from drying out. Dry storage will hold the seeds longer without germination. Some believe drying them out will cause them to take even longer to germinate. If they haven't germinated by the time your outdoor temps fall into the sixties and seventies, remove the container from the refrigerator and place it where it will receive those temps. Hopefully, that will be indoors where you can keep an eye on them without the container filling full of water or something getting in and eating the seeds. Rodents LOVE rose seed. Good luck!
thonotorose
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks, Kim! They are in a bowl on top of the sand and covered with plastic wrap. Still nice and damp. I'll shove them deeper and perhaps take them out this week. Wait... I think I'll take some of them out and put them on the sink window sill. I'm there everyday at least twice. The others can stay till cooler weather. Fingers crossed....
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I have my shelves in an unheated pantry. Granted we don't usually have southern temps this low (high 30's, low 40's) in our part of the country, but for the past several months they have been. As most of my seedlings are started in this unheated pantry, I noticed that the fluorescent lights themselves produce a goodly amount of heat. I raised the temps under those shelves recently to 70 degrees - not because of the seedlings, but because I wanted to heat up some fermenting sauerkraut - which needed that heat to continue to ferment. Anyway - I also use this approach for my seedlings. I enclosed the area around the seedlings with a cloth to further harness the warmth - and noted the thermometer registered near 70 degrees. Certainly warm enugh for broccolli and cole seedlings. You might try putting up some shelves, attaching fluorescent lights underneath, and see what the temp reading is. Bet it would work - unless your temps go way down - but another trick yet - I usually put my sprouted seedlings into yogurt sized cups, about 8 in all, which are then placed in a plastic shoe box (mostly to catch water). These boxes are easily obtained in various variety stores. A 2nd box placed over the top will create a greenhouse effect. I'll bet your little tads will be as cozy as a bug in a rug with this approach - and won't upset things in the OTHER nursery. Just my 2 c's. Bejay
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Thank you so much for your reply! I really appreciate all of the information. I didn't even think to pollinate all of them - I just did 3 because the videos I watched had only pollinated one or two and I thought that would be enough. Unfortunately, my all of my paternal plant's blooms have fallen off (too many suckers, a lot of the blooms were on their way out when I had bought them, but the plant itself looks very healthy. It's growing rapidly - I can't believe it. It's a good time to repot though, since it's not like I have to sacrifice my pretty little flowers). By the way, about how long does it take for new flowers to bloom after repotting? Once both plants are ready, I'll try again. I'm so excited! That's a great idea as well! I had just tied strings around the ones I pollinated. I had seen a few people take off the petals of their pollinated ones, but I wasn't sure how much of a difference it'd make. And even if that is just a superstition, I wouldn't be surprised if it were true. It may be the mother plant's fault - but I also don't know if I pollinated too late? The flowers had been quite open by the time I pollinated, and the paternal plant's pollen was also a bit old (though, I read older pollen is actually considered better in some cases). Thank you for the suggestion, I'll give it a go! Would getting a humidifier do the same job, or would it not help as much since all of the humidity wouldn't be concentrated in one little space? (I think all the plants could use a little more humidity) Will do :) Wow, your seedlings look great! The leaves are very interesting - good luck with them!
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roseseek
7 years ago
You're welcome, Veronica! Hopefully, the sun doesn't shine directly on the window sill or it may over heat them. As long as the temps in the kitchen remain lower than the mid eighties, you should see something. When? Who knows? But SOMETHING. Mine are crossed with yours!
thonotorose thanked roseseek
thonotorose
Original Author
7 years ago
Yes, the sill is shaded all year and it should remain about 85 or below in the kitchen until next spring.

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Can't get seeds to sprout - what am I doing wrong?

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Can't get seeds to sprout - what am I doing wrong?

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