http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/seed.htm
The following is a direct copy from the excellent guide and will form the basis for my experiments:
How to Experiment
Take SOAKED seed and place it in paper towels and place in thin plastic bags such as baggies and fold over the top. It has not been demonstrated, but it is entirely possible that oxygen is necessary for the reaction to proceed. Keep it at seventy degrees for ten days to two weeks if you don't know whether or not a forty degree inhibitor is present. In my experience, if no 40 inhibitor is present and the seed is fresh, it will begin to germinate right away.
If you get nothing at the end of two weeks put it in the fridge for three months, checking it each week for signs of germination. Often fresh woody seed will begin germinating after one month. At the end of three months and no germination takes place, then a seventy degree inhibitor is most likely present. Keep the seed at about 70. For most woody seed the inhibitor is broken down quickly and it will begin to sprout in a week or two. If not, hold it at 70 for three months. If nothing happens, a second 40 degree inhibitor is present (assuming of course that the seed is viable). Back to the fridge, repeat the cycles until germination occurs, you have a fit, or the seed rots.
You can of course, run multiple experiments if you have no information at all on your seed. One bag in fridge, one at 70, etc.
A few notes on care. The seed must stay moist INTERNALLY throughout this process. Deno doesn't talk about this much, but my experience with woody seed is that it can stay a lot drier on the outside than most people would believe. Keeping it this dry eliminates a lot of the fungal problems involved with long storage times. This is why I am so particular about getting fresh seed that has not been dried, it already has internal moisture and if an impermeable seed coat is present it won't make any difference.
Some tips on determining the proper moisture: Know the difference between moist and wet. If a film of moisture is on the seed or the plastic bag it is wet not moist. The paper towel should feel almost dry. If it starts to get stiff during the process, it is dry, and a very few drops of water should be added or a single spritz from a spray bottle.
For seed that does not take long to pretreat such as Cedrus I don't even use paper towels or other media, I soak the seed, dry it in the sun for about fifteen minutes until the outer husk feels dry to the touch and put it in a baggie and into the fridge. The seed is very fleshy and retains adequate water for the month that it must stay in there. Cedrus is VERY sensitive to excess water and will rot in an instant (see my Cedrus article for more info).
If your seed does get very moldy but has not yet cracked the seed coat you can wash it with a ten percent bleach solution. Let dry, then return to storage in fresh bag and towels. Deno points out that sound seed has natural antibodies for most fungi, and this is true. But keeping seed too wet is just too risky. Once you get a pathogen it seems like you have it for life and precautions are in order."Notes on Fahrenheit / Celcius:
70 f = 21.111 C
40 f = 4.4444 C
Guide to Growing Seedlings from Bonsai
http://home.comcast.net/~okamigardens/Articles/seedlings.htm#collar
Pines
http://home.comcast.net/~okamigardens/Articles/DevelopingPines.htm
Maples
http://home.comcast.net/~okamigardens/Articles/DevelopingMaples.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment