6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
First, "largest" does not necessarily equal "healthiest". Nothing but a very marginal correlation has ever been established.
Same holds true for size of the seed. Vigor of the seedling is equally dependent on the DNA of the seed and the growing conditions provided. Smaller seeds can have superior DNA definition over larger seeds just as easily as the reverse. It is the conditions provided that will make all the difference.
Dave
Given the choice of seeds, I would choose the larger more uniform in shape to plant. The stored energy in the seed provide the cotyledons or seed leaves as well as the radicle or root. Once germinated and initial root and seed leaves produced, and able to feed the seedling, then the DNA or basic vigor of the species is paramount, in my opinion. Al
Since no one replied to this thread, I'll link a duplicate thread (from the Trees Forum) that got a few responses.
Here is a link that might be useful: duplicate thread in another forum
Wow! I had never heard of these places. You learn something new every day. Thank you!!!
I'm starting a couple Quercus muehlenbergii (chinquapin oaks) this fall. It is interesting that white oak family acorns germinate free-fall before they hit the ground (aka - very fast, smiley face).
Shell should be dried, brittle and brown. Easily opened. Seeds should be dried and hard and brown.
If they are not too green, you can dry them in a window sill. Use an anti-desicant pack if you have one. Drying greener seeds with a hair dryer facilitates drying.
Sand paper them and boil for a few minutes and soak overnight. They have one of the thickest seed shells I have ever seen. :-) I did a test with 4 scraifying techniques and the combination works best for KY Coffee bean seeds.
No need for cold treatment.
Plant and they should be up in ~ 1 week @ 75 degrees F.
Will then grow easily a foot in a month or so. Zone 5 b.
Very mature trees should bloom and set seeds every year, assuming you have more than one plant. They seem to pollinate better that way. My brother has several hundred some > 60 '. They all set seeds most years.
An aside - shipping is never free. All you are really asking is which sellers factor in shipping costs when they set their seed prices. It can actually be cheaper to buy from a seller that lists shipping prices than one that doesn't.
(There are charity seed sources that donate shipping costs as well as seeds, but that doesn't seem to be what you are asking for.)
I have to agree with the others that it isn't clear what you are looking for? Seeds are seeds so what do you mean by "complete kinds of sees"?
Do you mean one place where you can order all the seeds you want? If so, that would depend on what you want.
Free shipping? No. Sell and ship all around the world? No, that isn't possible as there are too many agricultural rules that vary from country to country that prevent that.
So instead, tell us exactly what seeds you are looking for and where you want them shipped and we can help.
Dave
I did as you suggested, actually - after 24 hours one was still floating. I weighed it and it weighed about half the others.
So, out of curiosity, I decided to cut it in half to see. The cotyledons were white, but almost hollow. It may or may not have sprouted.
I use "Float Test" when selecting seeds that I save from tomatoes. After fermentation, I pour them in a tall glass and stir. The best one sink right away. I pour most of the water and floating ones out. I do it few times until I have just the ones that sink right away. Those are the ones I save. This way , not that you will have an improved germination rate, but you select the BEST seeds that will grow most strong and healthy plants. That is how the nature does in the process of NATURAL SELECTION.
Paulownia (sometimes called kiri in Japanese or princess-tree mostly by shyster Paulownia salespeople) is a weed that can be fairly invasive (environmentally destructive) in many locations. There is a paulownia tree industry out there that spends a lot of effort on promoting this piece of botanical trash, mostly by bending or covering up the truth. It should not be hard at all to germinate the seeds, but I definitely wouldn't waste my time.
If you have fresh or properly stored seeds of the other two trees, germination should be fairly easy. Keeping the Franklinia alive for many years, may be an issue (they are notoriously difficult to grow, but not impossible).
"Can anyone comment on this?"
I'm not sure what you want to know. Sheffield's provides instructions for each type of seed. If you want a second or third opinion, just google the scientific name of the particular plant along with the word germination. Chances are that you'll be able to find multiple sources of info. You can also directly check these sources:
The Seed Site
Backyard Gardener Seed Germination Database
Ontario Rock Garden & Hardy Plant Society Seed Germination Guide
Tom Clothier's Germination Database
B&T World Seeds Database
"For the first three, is 120 days right? That's four months stratification - seems long."
Lots of seed types need extended stratification periods. I'd go with the recommendations of those that have done the research.
"For the A. nigrum - am I likely to get decent germination rates from these 1 year old seeds?"
Sheffield's rates don't always reflect the germination rates you will achieve. They represent what they believe could be achieved, in ideal conditions, based on their viability tests of that seed lot. Acer seeds are notoriously more difficult to germinate than many "easy" types of seeds, so results will depend on how well you can give the seeds the conditions they need (especially including proper stratification).
Brandon7
This post was edited by brandon7 on Mon, Dec 2, 13 at 22:13
There's nothing wrong with starting some plants early (results may vary with different types of plants), but I wonder what you will gain. The plants that are grown early will still need light and even more space when they get big. What will you do with the ones you start early, while you are starting the next batch?
You might want to look into wintersowing some of your seeds so that they won't have to be started under grow lights, indoors. You could do some indoors and some outdoors.
My avocado has been "pruned" completely or down to just a couple of leaves, and had the top 6" completely broken off by my dog, a deer, and a skunk over the past couple of years. It looks terrible until the next growing season when things finally warm up again and I can get it back outside but every time it comes back fuller and better looking than it did before it was destroyed.
Pinus sabiniana, aka Digger Pine, aka Gray Pine.
Your sign in doesn't indicate your climate zone, but some facts about this pine -
prefers hot, dry summers; absence of summer fog, requires generally mild winters
Specific stands may adapt their own germination requirements according to conditions there - i.e. Digger pine growing on sites where winter temperatures fluctuate greatly, such as the Modoc Plateau, may have adapted a longer requirement for chilling to prevent germination until spring. Seeds from populations growing on low-elevation sites with milder winters tend to require less chilling, thereby favoring early establishment before soil moisture becomes limiting
And, It is classed as very intolerant of shade
Soak seed 48 hours, provide a moist chill of approximately 4 months, move to 70 for germination. Detailed suggestions here -
Here is a link that might be useful: USDA.gov - Pinus sabiniana
Cut off the first flower stem, down to a pair of leaves. The plant will grow 2 new stems and so on with many branches. Cut off the flowers as they fade, so the plant will keep making more flowers. Its goal is to set seed. By pinching stems and deadheading faded flowers, you can prolong flowering all summer and into fall.
Cut off the first flower stem, down to a pair of leaves. The plant will grow 2 new stems and so on with many branches. Cut off the flowers as they fade, so the plant will keep making more flowers. Its goal is to set seed. By pinching stems and deadheading faded flowers, you can prolong flowering all summer and into fall.
Hi Angela,
Well, I've never grown Arborvitae before but one thing for sure, you need to get the seedling out of that egg carton and into a larger container that contains a good potting mix. Miracle-Gro Potting Mix, for example, will feed the plant for up to six months. You'll also have to provide some kind of light; a very bright window location, fluorescent lighting, or maybe even both. The potting mix should be able to drain well and kept moist but not overly wet.
Hope this helps a little anyway :-)
Art
Hi Art thanks I have it under fluorescent light now I want to put it in my bright window but it's so drafty I guess I can create a little barrier and hope for the best. I always start these tender projects in the winter and it's such a long cold season.
Thanks Again
Angela
seedlings ended up long and spindly
That particular issue is caused by insufficient light and overly warm ambient air temps, primarily lack of light, and not by the growing medium used.
Seedlings require intense, broad-spectrum light from the instant of germination for a minimum of 12-16 hours out of 24. Low intensity and/or lights too far above the plants causes them to stretch toward it and ultimately fall or die as the stem cells are stretched. Other than over-watering, it is probably the most common problem associated with starting seeds indoors.
Overly warm environmental temps (air, not soil temps warmer than 60-65 degrees) only make the problem worse.
There is a FAQ here and many discussions about the various types and amounts of lights to use including plain old shop lights kept no more than 1" above the plants but the bottom line is that you literally cannot have too much light and if plants get leggy then they aren't getting nearly enough.
keep them in the dark until they sprout
Only a few flower seeds require darkness to germinate. 90% of seeds - flower or vegetable - do not.
As for medium to use, Rapid Rooters or any similar product works fine for an ebb n' flow. I personally prefer rock wool cubes but only because they retain their form better and aren't as fragile.
Dave
SEED STARTING FOR THE HOME GARDEN
I have discovered a cheap, simple method of starting flower and vegetable seeds for the home garden. It utilizes the principle of capillary action and a moist newspaper mat. To construct such a device, the following items will be required:
2. A 5-foot length of 1ü inch PVC pipe obtained from the plumbing department of the same store. This needs to be cut into 25 2-inch cylinders and then filled with a good seed starting mix.
3. A 6-inch piece of I-inch PVC pipe to be used as a plant ejector.
4. A half dozen sheets of newspaper.
Lay the newspaper on the sloping part of the paint tray with several inches immersed in the paint holding well. Fill this well with water and watch as the newspaper mat slowly becomes saturated as it draws up water. Plant a few seeds in each mix-filled cylinder and tamp lightly so the bottom of the mix is in contact with the wet newspaper. It will soon start drawing up moisture via capillary action and become damp. Keep adding water to the well as needed.
Using short pieces of an old venation blind and a lead pencil, identify each cylinder with name and date of planting.
In a week or two, the seeds will germinate and green leaves will appear. When about 2 or 3 inches tall and ready to transplant to a larger container or the garden, use the 1â ejection tool. Place this over the green leaves of the sprouted seedling. It will telescope nicely into the 1üâ planted cylinder. Pull up on the planted cylinder and the seedling will be bottom ejected without disturbing the roots. Add fresh planting mix around the new, larger container and place in a bright-lighted window for further development.