Help!!!!!! I have been trying for 3 years now to propagate nandina domestica from seed. Was told once that seed only germinates middle of summer regardless of when it is sown. The main problem in the first instance is how to keep the seed fresh from time of picking, winter, to time of sowing. It rots away in the fridge as well as in dry conditions. Should it be frozen? Then, once sown, what should the sowing conditions be? Under regular mist, on a hot bed or just in seedling beds? Should the seed be covered at all? In other words, are the seeds in need of light to germinate or should they be kept in total darkness?
This is the trick to germinating nandina : 1) collect FRESH seeds , peel and wash off the excess pulp 2) place some moistened vermiculite in a coffee filter and squeeze out any excess water 3) place the treated vermiculite in a zip lock bag 4 ) when the seeds are sufficiently cleaned of pulp place them in your bag of vermiculite 5) place seeds and vermiculite at 70F to 75F room temperature until germination occurs 6) check bag weekly for mold / germination ( this may take a few months BUT it will happen if the seed was collected FRESH ) I have performed this method on 2 different occasions with EXCELLENT results . Happy Growing !!
Thank you very much for the advise. I will now have to wait till next year march to collect my fresh seed but I will definitely be waiting in anticipation to try the method.