Arbutus: Extracting seeds from the fruit

Discussion in 'Ericaceae (rhododendrons, arbutus, etc.)' started by Jonathan, Nov 15, 2006.

  1. Jonathan

    Jonathan Member

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    Location:
    Camarillo, California
    What is the best way to remove the seeds from the fruit? And what is the best way to get them to Germinate.
     
  2. growest

    growest Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Surrey,BC,Canada
    Jonathan--probably someone will post the "correct" way, but thought I'd take a run at it. I've germinated these a couple of times this way.

    I've just mashed the fruit up, left it to ferment in a ziploc for a few weeks then spread the gooey mess on top of the plug trays. I kept these trays exposed to the weather for a while to let the rain wash away a lot of the pulpy residue, leaving the seeds. Then they were kept out of the worst of the rain to avoid drowning the seeds overwinter. Seeds seem to like light for germination, so never really covered them, just didn't let em dry out...usually not the problem in winter, early spring here.

    Regular winter temps do all the work and they germinate thickly in spring. Just have to do a lot of thinning as soon as possible to get the best growth.

    The plug trays are a better system, BTW, than trying to prick seedlings out of undivided trays...sensitive little roots and all.
     

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