Long term storage of seeds

Discussion in 'Maples' started by Gomero, Jul 25, 2006.

  1. Gomero

    Gomero Well-Known Member Maple Society 10 Years

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    Location:
    Southwest France
    Not having a lot of time to sow, and taking into account that some cultivars throw seed rarely, I am interested in long term (i.e.: 2-5 years) storage of samaras. Making a quick search I have learned that hardwood seeds can be divided into three groups as far as long term storage is concerned:

    Group 1 are seeds that must be dried for extraction and storage;
    Group 2 are seeds that must be kept moist for extraction and storage
    Group 3 are seeds that must be moist for extraction but dry for storage

    For the acers I read that those with Spring Maturity belong to the second group whereas those with Fall Maturity belong to the first group. My understanding is that Japanese Maples belong to the Fall maturing acers and therefore belong to group 1, the easiest to conserve. For this group, if the moisture content is kept between 5 and 10 percent, then seeds can be conserved for up to 5 years at temperatures of 0° to 5°C. For storage beyond 5 years subfreezing temperatures are probably needed.

    My question is, has anyone done it and could confirm the approach?
    What technique to control the moisture level?

    Kind regards,

    Gomero
     
  2. garcan

    garcan Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Milton, Ont. Canada
    Looking for long term Japanese maple seed storage info, and found this useful post, but I didn't see any response to the useful questions. May I try again to see any body can provide the answer.
    I have an unusually productive season for Japanese maple seeds. I would like to sow them over the next several years for root stock, and naturalization.

    One more question: Does the dissectum seed produce cutleaf maple or regular leaf maple generally?
     

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