Below is the method I'm following to germinate dry Acer palmatum seeds collected Oct-Nov 2015. My question is: Do the seeds need warm stratification 1 or 2 months? I see a lot of variation in the information I've read. 1. Wings removed 2. Added to near boiling water, Let soak as water cooled to room temperature. Seeds remained soaking in the water for 48 hours. 3. Rinsed seeds in 1/10 Bleach solution for 3-5 minutes. Rinsed again in warm water. 4. Spread seeds onto a damp paper towel and folded it over sandwiching the seeds. Placed the damp paper towel and seeds into a sealed zipper bag. 5. Store the damp seeds at 70-75F for 1 or 2 months. 6. Move seed to cold stratification at 34-42F for 2 months 7. Sow seeds Thanks
Storing dampen seed at 70-75F for 2 months ...that is a sure way to have rotting seeds Ratboy-see how the pros are doing it. Their method is working fine with me. I even get lots of germination just by putting freshly collected seed in zipper lock bag in the fridge. They germinate after 80-90 days and I pick them one by one. It is good to soak them and discard the floating ones(prior to cold stratification). http://www.ippswr.org/home/ippsna/Denver/PPT-PDF/Meacham.pdf
Oh... That doesn't really match what I've heard or read here and there. 1. Wings removed : -- Why not? I don't. 2. Added to near boiling water -- Maybe OK for maple species with a very hard outer shell like Acer griseum, but I wonder if it is safe with plain A. palmatum --Let soak as water cooled to room temperature. Seeds remained soaking in the water for 48 hours. Soaking seeds before stratification for one or two days is usually advised. I use water at room temperature (19-20° Celsius) 3. Rinsed seeds in 1/10 Bleach solution for 3-5 minutes. Rinsed again in warm water. --Could be useful if the seeds were collected, to avoid diseases 4. Spread seeds onto a damp paper towel and folded it over sandwiching the seeds. Placed the damp paper towel and seeds into a sealed zipper bag. --Most seeds providers recommend a mix of peat and sand. Some people add activated charcoal or just plain charcoal to limit the risks of fungal diseases. It's more difficult to check the seeds in folded towel paper. 5. Store the damp seeds at 70-75F for 1 or 2 months. -- 1/ You mean 21.11111° C to 23,8889° C I suppose... ^^ --2/ For most maple species, you don't have to. IOf yours are plain Acer palmatum, not only is it a waste of time, but some might germinate before you can safely plant them and the rest are likely to rot. 6. Move seed to cold stratification at 34-42F for 2 months --1/ I calculated that it must be between 1,11111° C and 5,55556° C, right? --2/ Usually, cold stratification is about 90 to 120 days (at last, a unit that is shared by everyone in the 21st century!). Without 1,2,3, (4) and 5 it worked most of the time with seeds from professionals. I had limited success with seeds "collected from the wild". Have a look at this page, that's where I order most of my seeds (not only maples) from. It's a very reliable source, and my plantations were successful - when I followed their advice! Acer palmatum : vente de graine en sachet 4g, seeds Leafy trees If you have enough seeds, maybe you should try different preparations and keep us informed of which worked the best? Alain PS: 7. Sow seeds --Yes, don't forget. ;°D
Last year I followed the advice on this forum and stratified seeds to germinate which was a success. However I had so many naturally germinated seedlings in the garden which I potted on that this year I prepared an outdoor seedbed with lots of coarse grit and have directly sown the fresh seed when harvested. I guess it depends on whether one has low enough winter temperatures. Fingers crossed I have lots of seedlings this April/May John
