The wild rose, also known as the rosehip bush, is not only a wonderful nesting place for birds, but its flowers are also really pretty to look at. In addition, you can harvest the fruit in autumn and use it to make tea and other delicacies. These types of roses are a real asset to your garden and you can even grow them yourself instead of buying a large bush. We would like to provide you with the simple steps to grow roses from rose hips.
Propagate wild roses through seeds for the garden
First of all: It could turn out to be a slight challenge because not all seeds from the fruit are actually capable of germinating. It is therefore advisable to use seeds from several fruits straight away. This will increase your chances of success. This is simply because the plant produces really large quantities of rose hips, so the relatively low germination capacity is still sufficient - even if you grow the roses from rose hips yourself.
A notice:Remember that the plant you grow yourself may later differ from the mother plant. So if other flower colors appear, that's completely normal. Gardeners often work with hybrid varieties, i.e. specimens that were bred from two different varieties. It is not certain which of the two will ultimately dominate.
How do you propagate roses from rose hips?
How do you properly proceed if you want to grow roses from rose hips?
The plant must first develop fruit
Of course, you first need the seeds from the fruit. In order for rose hips to develop at all, you must not remove the withered flowers straight away. Instead, let nature take its course. Since the plant pollinates itself or through insects, you don't need to help here either. The withered flowers, from which the wild rose fruits then develop, will eventually fall off on their own.
Allow the fruits to ripen long enough
Don't be in a hurry to remove the fruit from the plant. If you do this too early, the seeds will not be able to germinate and new plants will not be able to grow from them. To get the timing right, just observe the color. Initially, the rosehip fruits are green. Then, depending on the variety, they turn orange, red or even brown or purple. The rose hips are finally discolored? So time,to harvest them!
A notice:If you miss this period, there is absolutely no problem. Even if the fruit is already wrinkled, it is still suitable for propagation. However, they shouldn't become completely dry and brown, because that usually means that the seeds have also dried out.
Propagate roses – Remove the seeds
So cut the mature rose hips off the plant. Afterwards you can open them and take out the seeds. For this purpose you can also use the tip of the knife you are using. Then clean them in a sieve under running water (rub them on the sieve edge) to remove the pulp. This will prevent the seeds from molding and spoiling.
Pull roses from rose hips - soak and germinate
Soaking the rosehip seeds first will encourage germination because the seedlings will have an easier time penetrating the soft shell. For this reason, it is recommended to let them lie/swim in water for a few hours.
Then place the soft seeds between two pieces of damp kitchen paper and seal them in a box or freezer bag to keep them moist. Alternatively, you can also use a box of damp sand. Subsequent storage is important if you grow roses from rose hips. As in nature, the rose hip seeds need a “winter”, which you now have to imitate. To do this, simply place them in the refrigerator (preferably in an empty area).
The package stays there for several weeks (4 to 17). Check at intervals whether the kitchen paper/sand is still damp, as germination cannot occur without moisture.
Grow wild roses yourself – Plant the young wild roses
A week after germination, the seedlings should be large enough to be planted. Use small containers for this (small yogurt cups with a hole are also suitable) and potting soil. The fresh shoot is not an above-ground part of the plant, as you might think, but the root. Therefore, it should definitely be planted downwards. From now on, keep the substrate warm and moist (16 to 21 degrees). The location should also be bright, but not in direct sunlight.
If the young plant has developed a few more leaves after the so-called cotyledons, it can theoretically be transplanted into a larger pot. But this is only absolutely necessary if the growing pot is already quite heavily rooted. The general rule is that transplantingthe wild roseis best done outside of the growth phase, i.e. in winter or spring. She can then go outside as soon as the frost periods are over.
