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gardenapprentice

Dogwood Seeds

gardenapprentice
11 years ago

Hey I have a dogwood seed. I collected it around September and I basically put it In my freezer. Well it's Basically February and I finally took it out . My question is how long till the germinate? I put them in a ziplock bag with a moist paper towel. The dogwood is C. Florida

Comments (7)

  • digdirt2
    11 years ago

    It can take from 2 weeks up to 3 months for germination depending on if you removed the berry pulp first (looks like you have berries there, not seeds), stratified correctly (which doesn't include freezing), and then nicked the seeds before planting.

    Since you froze the berries the odds of seed germination are reduced but possible although it will take longer. But the seeds have to be removed from the berry first.

    Lots of how-to germinate dogwood seeds info available with details on the 200+ days stratification process. I linked one fairly good source below. And here is a pic of the seeds themselves.

    Good luck.

    Dave

    Here is a link that might be useful: How to grow dogwoods from seed

  • morz8 - Washington Coast
    11 years ago

    You have 'a' dogwood seed? One seed? Possible, but that doesn't stack the odds of ending up with a seedling in your favor. Better would have been to collect several, hope for one or two to sprout.

    Just to expand on what Dave has told you, the pulp or flesh of fruits and berries often contains a germination inhibitor and should be removed. Self sown fresh outdoors, fluctuating temps, rain, snow, and, often passing through the digestive tract of a bird or animal, takes care of that for us.

    Putting any seed dry in your freezer is only storage, in order for the cold treatment - stratify - to be helpful, the seed must be moist. The recommendation for dogwood is to sow fresh cleaned seed outdoors in Fall, or put into a sterile moist medium (sterile damp sand and sterile damp vermiculite both work well) and put that into your refrigerator. Not your freezer, few seeds need to actually freeze, most of the time freezing just slows down the process until its not quite so cold.

    Three to four months moist cold for dogwood seeds, germination will take place when brought to warm again after the moist chill.

  • gardenapprentice
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Dave it is the actual seed. My camera isn't the best though.

  • terrene
    11 years ago

    I have winter-sown Cornus florida twice. Also Cornus amomum. The seeds were collected from local plants. In my experience, the dogwood species are easy to germinate. I would sow about 1-2 dozen seeds in a container in the fall, and put them outside.

    The first year I definitely cleaned them, at least a dozen germinated. The 2nd year I don't recall if I cleaned the seeds, but at least a couple germinated.

    I've got another container of Cornus florida as well as Cornus officinalis out there this year. This time the C. florida seed was dry (had sat in my car for weeks), and I didn't bother to clean it. So we'll see what happens.

    I like to to experiment and don't even keep most of the seedlings anyway. Usually pot up the strongest 1 or 2.

  • digdirt2
    11 years ago

    Dave it is the actual seed. My camera isn't the best though.

    Ok, 2 of them or is there other things in there as well? Sure looks big for a dogwood seed.

    Dave

  • gardenapprentice
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The one on the far right is the seed, I put in a small cutting of the dogwood tree I was going to experiment the cutting and see if it put out a few roots

  • morz8 - Washington Coast
    11 years ago

    That's not a cutting, it's not even a snippet :) Go back to the tree late Spring, try again. Time of year is important with cuttings and not every shrub/tree is the same. 6-8" cutting, rooting hormone, mist or tent for humidity, provide light.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Instructions here :