Thanks--I hadn't thought of doing a non-fermented control batch, but I think I will!

Neat! Ideally, they should be the same batch of seeds as the fermented ones, though not fermented, to eliminate any genetic differences. It will be fun reading your experiences! Good luck!

@roseseek What has your experience been collecting rose seed after the hip has rotted? Any germination issues? Last year I collected ripe hips and extracted the seeds for the first time. Was surprised at how woody the hip was. This year I just collected some, rotted or over ripe :) hips, and the seeds were much easier to extract. I let them dry a bit and sowed them the other day. Would be a bummer if that method reduces germination.

@SeniorBalloon I honestly don't remember ever having collected fermented hips for seeds. I may have but if I did, I didn't pay attention to any potential differences in germination.

As an update on this, I tried germinating the fermented and non-fermented seeds in my seed starter, but gave up and dumped them in the yard after about a month so I could plant some vegetables. Three seedlings have since appeared, although I don't know if they were fermented or not, because I gave up too soon. They are all growing in various cracks, although I tried to transplant one. Here is the first to bloom, "Old Master X ?":

Any update On these little roses?

The story has a bit of a sad ending. I couldn't leave the rose growing in that crack, so this winter I delicately tried to pry it out with a hori hori. I was able to transplant it to a better location, but it struggled during the cold wet spring and eventually died. I am going to try to ferment some more seeds this summer.