Time to sow them seeds

[andy]

It is fast approaching the time when we should be thinking of getting ready for sowing hard coated tree and shrub seeds. Oak, ash, sycamore, beech, hawthorn, horse chestnut and sweet chestnut are some of the bigger trees whilst apple, pear, rose, cottoneaster, quince, japanese maple and pyrecantha are among the smaller trees and shrubs.
Large, pines, redwoods and conifers can all be bought (or collected if you're lucky) and treated the same way.

There are varying methods that different gardeners employ to get the best results. But the one common factor is that the seeds require a period of cold in order to break down the seed coat and create a chemical reaction within the seed that triggers germination. This is called STRATIFICATION.

I will explain the very simple method i use plus the deviations that others may employ.

Firstly, i collect my seed. This is then cleaned up if needed. By cleaned up, i mean i remove the wings off things like sycamore and japanese maple...although this isn't necessary. Conker shells can be removed as can beech seeds from their seed case etc.

When i've sown apple, quince and pears before, i've sometimes sown them as a complete fruits and then extracted the pips in the spring. When doing this, i either pop a whole apple or just the core straight into moist sand and left in the cold. The pips are extracted in March and allowed to germinate in a warm greenhouse.
Or you can just extract the pips and sow directly into potting compost and stratified through the winter.

Now on to stratification. There are two main ways of stratifying seeds, One method is to mix the seeds with damp sand, put in a freezer bag and freeze them for a minimum of 12 weeks. But my preferred method is to sow them in pots or trays just as you would for any spring sown plants. Cover the seed with compost and then leave the trays in a very exposed part of the garden. You might have to protect the seeds from pests such as squirrels and mice by putting sheets of glass over them.

The benifit of the second method is that the trees get a more natural stratification....they get wet, cold, wet, frozen, warm, frozen again, etc etc...in other words, the full force of all the different types of weather.

Once the winter is over....usually about mid march, i bring the seeds in to the warmth and this gives them the artificial conditions needed to start germinating. They can of course be left outside but germination can be slow and erratic.

It is fairly easy and very rewarding. Stuff like rose, maples and the fruit trees are ideal if you want to grow root stocks for grafting or even for training as bonsai. I sowed loads of acer palmatum from different trees in our local National trust garden and i rekon every single one germinated....i couldn't give them away and i think i may have had in excess of 1,000 plants.

One thing to remember, because the seeds sometimes do not come up the same as their parents, you really don't know what you're going to get....you may be disappointed or you may have a potential future show winner.

If you have any questions on the above, please fire away. All of this is from personal experience.

Andy

[Jonah]

Hi Andy
I am trying to stratify some Astrantia seeds in the slight hope that they may germinate [bought last year and some were sown in the usual way with no success]. I understand they can be very hit and miss and should be much fresher, but I didn't want to waste them. When I googled stratification it said to place in the fridge. I have had them there since the beginning of August, would I be advised to freeze them for a while before trying to sow?

[Jonah]

ping!

[Deleted]

What do you do with the trees when they grow?I feel a bit shy about taking them to a park and digging holes for them, besides they might get injured not to say neglected.

[Chuckles]

Never thought of sowing tree or shrub seed before I do find odd young ones growing in the gdn, last year I potted up 2 Mountain Ash that I found growing in the gdn, I have one yellow and one red berried one and they grow very close together I'm not sure which they are though but both were potted up and are looking really good ;D. Also found a Ceanothus not sure which variety it is though but it's now in a pot.

The pain of my life in the gdn is finding young Holly that seed from next door, I do have probably 6 growing in pots, but discard any others I find

[andy]

Sorry Jonah....i must've missed your reply totally

If you haven't already, i would certainly stratify them....but i would either put them outside for the winter or in a freezer (i prefer the more natural method of putting them outside)

As for what you'd do with the trees....well i used to bonsai them. Obviously things such as japanese maples will be sought after and will sell at fetes or boot fares if you get enough (which you should).

You can also sow seeds and use the seedlings as a rootstock for grafting.