Propagating trees from seedsis a very interesting activity for ambitious gardeners. Growing a tree or bush from seed requires a lot of care and patience, but it also gives great satisfaction. It is also a great way to get tree seedlings cheaper than buying already grown plants in a store. See how and when to sowseeds of trees and shrubswhich species can be grown from seeds and how to care for young, delicate seedlings.
Linden seeds
What trees and shrubs to propagate from seeds
Sowing seeds can be used to propagatemost woody plants that form seeds in our climate.For propagation by this method, choose plants that give a lot of easily available fruit, and such as hawthorn, chestnut and wrinkled rose, which cannot be reproduced easily and faster by other methods.
When deciding onpropagating trees from seeds , remember also that most garden varieties and hybrids of particular species, obtained thanks to special treatments of nurserymen, unfortunately do not repeat the characteristics of the mother plant, such as original coloring or attractive habit. Therefore, in this way it is worthwhile to breed the species itself, and not its variety. The exceptions, i.e. varieties that largely repeat the features of mother plants, include blue spruce (about half of the obtained seedlings will retain blue color of the needles) and the purple variety of Thunberg's barberry (up to 80% of seedlings can be properly colored). When growing these plants from seeds, you will have to select the seedlings and remove the faintest ones.
When and how to collect tree seeds
In our climate, most seeds mature in September or October. Depending on the weather conditions, this date may be moved to about 2 weeks earlier or later.In the case of conifers, you should pay special attention to the cones of firs, spruces and pines, because their most valuable seeds fall out on their own and you can lose them. For this reason, it is worth putting the cones of these plants into a paper bag in advance and keep them in a warm and dry place until the scales open and the seeds fall into the bags. You can also spread a sheet of material under the trees on which the seeds will fall.
In the case of cones of other species, it is necessary to remove the seed covers by squeezing them between the thumb and finger. The cedar cones must be immersed in hot water and left until they are soaked and the scales open on their own.
The method of extracting seeds from fruits or berries depends on the size of the fruit and the type of flesh.You can cut large fruit, e.g. a decorative apple tree, and take out the seeds. Smaller fruits, such as rowanberries, should be soaked in warm water for several days. The most viable seeds will fall to the bottom of the dish.
The seeds can also be extracted and cleaned by rubbing them through sieves with appropriate mesh and washing them with water. This is what we do with the seeds of barberry, yew, juniper and mahogany.
In turn, the seeds of beech, oak, chestnut and walnut should be collected only after they fall to the ground.
After harvesting, the seeds must be cleaned and dried. The seeds of some trees are sown immediately after harvesting. This is how we deal with the seeds of such plants as: ałycza, beech, dogwood, ash, hazel, linden, and wrinkled rose.Tree seeds , which are not sown immediately after harvest, but require appropriate storage conditions until spring.
If you do not have access to plants from which to obtain seeds, you can order a wide variety of seeds from different species online.However, it is important to buyseeds of trees and shrubsof good quality and proven origin. I especially recommend the online store that I checked, which introduced a wide range of seeds of deciduous trees and shrubs.
Tree seed storage
The easiest wayto store tree seedsis dry storage. In this case, the seeds are placed in a box, cardboard box or a cloth bag suspended in a ventilated place.
Species of trees and shrubs, the seeds of which are stored dry :
- Deciduous:Pontic azalea, birch, budleja, Chinese wisteria, Japanese grouse, American ash, catalpa, alder, black locust, common elm, golden eel,
- Coniferous:Canadian pine, Lawson's cypress, larch, blue spruce, Serbian spruce, Sitka spruce, mountain pine, black pine, Western thuja
Stratification
Seeds of treesgrowing in our climate in the natural environment during winter are exposed to low temperatures. Therefore, in the case of seeds of many plants, it is necessary to undergo a treatment called stratification. This treatment consists in subjecting the seeds to low temperature, humidity and air, and its purpose is to break the seed dormancy period. The timing and duration of stratification varies depending on the plant from which the seeds are derived. Details on this subject are provided in the table below.
As a rule, at the beginning of the treatment, the seeds are soaked in water for 1 to 2 days, and then placed in a low temperature (usually from 3 to 6 ° C), e.g. in a refrigerator. Before putting in the fridge, mix the seeds with slightly damp (but not wet!) Coarse sand (it can also be a mixture of peat and vermiculite), and then put in a bag.From time to time (first once a month, then more often), the seeds should be stirred so that they all have equal access to oxygen and moisture. When the first signs of germination appear, sow the seeds (this does not apply to all seeds, as some of them sprout only after sowing them at a higher temperature - therefore, below we present the appropriate stratification time for individual plants).
How to sow tree seeds?
Tree seedscan be sown in containers or directly into the ground. Before sowing them, however, a procedure called scarification may be necessary, which involves damaging the seed's shell to allow moisture to enter. This treatment is necessary for seeds that have a thick and hard seed cover that does not leak water. Cut large seeds with very hard shells (e.g. oak or tree peony) with a sharp knife. On the other hand, rub the smaller seeds that are difficult to cut with sandpaper.
Ground sowing
Sowing tree seedsinto the ground is a less labor-intensive method, especially effective when we want to obtain a large number of seedlings. For sowing, choose a place that is sheltered from the wind and warm. It is worth preparing the Zagon a few months in advance. It is best to remove weeds in autumn, dig the soil, add organic matter. If the soil is too heavy, mix it with coarse sand.
Before sowing, the soil still needs to be ruffled. Sowing is usually carried out in mid-May, when we are sure that the plants will not be threatened by frost. In the case of plants whose seedlings are sensitive to frost (e.g. Canadian pine, rhododendron, ginkgo, cypress, Syrian hibiscus or wisteria), it is better to sow seeds in a tunnel or in a cold inspection.Small seeds can be sown in a projection, while larger seeds are sown in rows. For daylight sowing, it is necessary to lightly tap the seeds into the soil and cover them with a thin layer of sand.
Sowing in pots
If we want to obtain a small number of seedlings, it is more convenient tosow seeds into potsLarge seeds and seeds of plants with long tap root should be sown into pots (one or several depending on the size of the seeds) with a depth of every at least 10 cm. Very small seeds are spread evenly in a pot or container and covered with a thin layer of sand. After sowing, the containers are watered and placed in a cool room with a temperature of 12 to 15 ° C. If we sowed the seeds of tropical plants, they will need a higher temperature for germination, i.e. around 21 ° C.
Seedling care
When the seeds start to germinate, it is necessary to start regular spraying with fungicides in order to prevent the seedlings from gangrene. It is also necessary to water moderately. Water carefully to prevent the soil from drying out. Too much moisture causes disease infections to develop.When the seedlings grow up a bit, it is necessary to quilt them so that they have more space. Protect young seedlings from direct sunlight, start fertilizing and start hardening them to get them accustomed to outdoor conditions (on warm days, keep the rooms with seedling containers aired). We drop them to the ground when we are sure that no more frosts will occur.
Prepared on the basis of: C. Brickell, Wielka Encyklopedia Ogrodnictwa, Muza SA, Warsaw 1994, pp. 56-57 and Trees from seeds, Kwietnik, No. 10/2004, pp. 34-37.
