@Arlithrien i start collecting seeds mid Oct. - Dec. I do not use anything but sulfur and water. What germination process are you using?
I think I saw some of this going up. I assume you leave unheated in winter, then just let the sun warm it? I guess with that opaque plastic, it doesn't overheat too much? I also don't use anything special, a bit of Bordeaux mix (copper/sulpher). Did have a bit of botrytis in the tunnel this year -- in fact this reminds me to spray a young A. henryi -- but it didn't have much effect on seedlings. I do find some seedlings are just gonna die, nothing to do about it. This year I've had a lot of white or yellow cotyledons, most died within a few days. @Arlithrien m correct timing depends on location and species, and weather that year. Typically you want to pick when the nutlets are still green, but the wings are turning brown. Cheers, -E
Hi, Maybe it depends on the species... I've found that seeds from palmatums gathered when the nut is brown and the wing is still a bit green do better than when they're all brown. So rather than a specific period of time, I look at the colour change on samaras. Roughly late September to mid-November, depending on the year's climate conditions. I collected A. buergerianum seeds in October, when the wings of the samaras were still green, I have half a dozen from October that have germinated, and only one of those from November.and another batch in November : Years ago, I collected A. monspessulanum in their native habitat (i.e Périgord) in mid-July and I had a fairly good rate of germination after planting them in late November. I used to stratify my seeds in zip bags in sand and a very small amount of shagnum moss, but now I just plant them in pots and leave them outiside. I found that it's about the same. When I collect seeds, I put them in envelopes and keep them in the fridge. And I don't plant them until late November. We don't have deep, long frosts any longer here, so I think it's enough to have the right combination of weather variations in winter for the seeds to germinate when thay're fertile. Personal experience in my climate, no scientific concusions...
Ah! Just read Emery's reply : maybe I was confused. I think he's right : "when the nutlets are still green, but the wings are turning brown."
I assume my issue was picking seeds a couple weeks too early and letting them dry out. The varietals that germinated abundantly were also early bloomers like higasayama. I will typically soak my seeds in hydrogen peroxide for 5-15 minutes to sterilize and then soak them in warm water in a yeti for 24 hours. Then I put them in the fridge for ~3 months in ziploc bags. I haven't been doing this long enough to know if I'm helping or hurting the seeds with this treatment. And also I am trying to figure out how often I need to be letting fresh air into the bags and to rehydrate the seeds as they dry out over time.
@emery The greenhouses are unheat. They came with this reinforced plastic and it gets pretty hot. I open the front, back, sides and it usually help. I wish we had Bordeaux mix here. I would like to use it as a preventative on my young trees. I found a recipe a few back and not sure if I mixed it right (the trees are still alive lol). Was the mold due to moisture? The last few year I've been getting a lot of white cotyledons with the sieboldianums. They live for a while but always eventually all die.
