Cold stratification mixed with sand and compost mix
Recommended for the following species:
David's Maple (acer davidii) Her's Maple (acer grosseri var. hersii) Henry's Maple (acer henryi) Bigleaf Maple (acer macrophyllum) Montpellier maple (acer monspessulanum) Ash Leaved Lime (acer negundo) Black Maple (acer nigrum) Oliver's Maple (acer oliverianum) Japanese Maple species (acer palmatum) fresh Striped Maple (acer pensylvanicum) Painted Maple (acer pictum mono) Norway Maple (acer platanoides) Sycamore (acer pseudoplatanus) Red Maple (acer rubrum) Sugar Maple (acer saccharum) Siebold Maple (acer sieboldianum) Tatarian Maple (acer tataricum) Manchurian Striped Maple (acer tegmentosum) Shantung Maple (acer truncatum) Black Chokeberry (aronia melanocarpa) Wintergreen Barberry (berberis julianae) Japanese Barberry (berberis thunbergii) Purple Barberry (berberis thun. atropurpurea) Common Barberry (berberis vulgaris) Box (buxus sempervirens) Trumpet Vine (campsis radicans) Shagbark Hickory (carya ovata) Common Hackberry (celtis occidentalis) Japanese Quince (chaenomeles japonica) Red Barked Dogwood (cornus alba) Flowering Dogwood (cornus florida) Chinese Dogwood (cornus kousa chinensis) Hazel (corylus avellana) Turkish Hazel (corylus colurna) Smoke Tree (cotinus coggygria) Russian Olive (elaeagnus angustifolia) |
Time
12 weeks 18 weeks 12 weeks 8 weeks 12 weeks 20 weeks 12 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks 4 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks 8 weeks 20 weeks 8 weeks 20 weeks 28 weeks 8 weeks 16 weeks 13 weeks 8 weeks 14 weeks 14 weeks 14 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks 13 weeks 12 weeks |
Green Beech (fagus sylvatica) Purple Beech (fagus sylvatica purpurea) Sea Buckthorn (hippophae rhamnoides) Black Walnut (juglans nigra) English Walnut (juglans regia) Crape Myrtle (lagerstroemia indica) Wild Privet (ligustrum vulgare) Chinese Tulip Tree (liriodendron chinense) Tulip Tree (liriodendron tulipifera) Osage Orange (maclura pomifera) Oregon Grape (mahonia aquifolium) Medlar (mespilus germanica) White Mulberry (morus alba) Black Mulberry (morus nigra) Black Tupelo (nyssa sylvatica) Virginia Creeper (parthenocissus quinquefolia) Boston Ivy (parthenocissus tricuspidata) London Plane (platanus acerifolia) American Sycamore (platanus occidentalis) Wild Plum (prunus domestica) Laurel (prunus laurocerasus) Multiflora Rose (rosa multiflora) Rugosa Rose (rosa rugosa) White Rugosa Rose (rosa rugosa alba) Red Rugosa Rose (rosa rugosa rubra) Five Flavour Fruit (schisandra chinensis) Lilac (syringa vulgaris) American Basswood (tilia americana) Amur Lime (tilia amurensis) Chinese Plum Yew (cephalotaxus fortunei) Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree (ginkgo biloba) Eastern White Cedar (juniperus virginiana) Swamp Cypress (taxodium distichum) |
Time
12 weeks 12 weeks 8 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks 4 weeks 16 weeks 28 weeks 28 weeks 4 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks 20 weeks 12 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks 12 weeks 8 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks 13 weeks 8 weeks 13 weeks 12 weeks |
Prepare a free draining substrate into which the seeds are to be mixed, moist sand is thought to give the best results for this although you could use a 50/50 mixture of compost and sharp sand, The chosen substrate needs to be moist (but not wet), if you can squeeze water out of it with your hand it is too wet and your seeds may drown and die.
Mix the seeds into the substrate, making sure that their is enough volume of material to keep the seeds separated. Place the seed mixture into a clear plastic bag (freezer bags, especially zip-lock bags are very useful for this -provided a little gap is left in the seal for air exchange) If it is not a zip-lock type bag it needs to be loosely tied. Then write the date on the bag so that you know when the pretreatment was started.
The seeds require a cold period to break the dormancy that is naturally found within them, this is easily achieved by placing the prepared bag of seeds and compost mix in the fridge (4 Celsius or 39F) for around 8 weeks. It is quite possible for the seeds to germinate in the bag at these temperatures when they are ready to do so, if they do, just remove them from the bag and carefully plant them up.
For larger quantities it is easiest to sow the seeds in a well prepared seedbed once the cold pretreatment has finished and wait for the seeds to germinate. Seeds that are ready to germinate will be plump and soft, if they are not, the pretreatment is not yet complete or has been ineffective due to incorrect temperatures or incorrect moisture content of the pretreatment medium and the pre treatment process should be started again.
Do not expose newly sown seeds to high temperatures (above 25 Celsius) otherwise a secondary dormancy may be induced and the seeds will not germinate until they have been pretreated again. Germinated seeds can be planted in deep pots or plug trays in a good quality compost. Keep the seedlings well watered and weed free.
Growth in the first year is usually between 20 and 50 cm and usually trouble free. Growth accelerates rapidly in the second year. Allow them to grow for 1 or 2 years before planting them in a permanent position.
Mix the seeds into the substrate, making sure that their is enough volume of material to keep the seeds separated. Place the seed mixture into a clear plastic bag (freezer bags, especially zip-lock bags are very useful for this -provided a little gap is left in the seal for air exchange) If it is not a zip-lock type bag it needs to be loosely tied. Then write the date on the bag so that you know when the pretreatment was started.
The seeds require a cold period to break the dormancy that is naturally found within them, this is easily achieved by placing the prepared bag of seeds and compost mix in the fridge (4 Celsius or 39F) for around 8 weeks. It is quite possible for the seeds to germinate in the bag at these temperatures when they are ready to do so, if they do, just remove them from the bag and carefully plant them up.
For larger quantities it is easiest to sow the seeds in a well prepared seedbed once the cold pretreatment has finished and wait for the seeds to germinate. Seeds that are ready to germinate will be plump and soft, if they are not, the pretreatment is not yet complete or has been ineffective due to incorrect temperatures or incorrect moisture content of the pretreatment medium and the pre treatment process should be started again.
Do not expose newly sown seeds to high temperatures (above 25 Celsius) otherwise a secondary dormancy may be induced and the seeds will not germinate until they have been pretreated again. Germinated seeds can be planted in deep pots or plug trays in a good quality compost. Keep the seedlings well watered and weed free.
Growth in the first year is usually between 20 and 50 cm and usually trouble free. Growth accelerates rapidly in the second year. Allow them to grow for 1 or 2 years before planting them in a permanent position.