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By DR. DIANE RELF
Rappahannock N«w» Contributing Writer
In late summer, most trees begin to mature seed for next year’s crop of young trees. Oaks, most maples, magnolias, and many other tree species ripen their seeds from late summer through fall, making this seed collection time.
There are a few exceptions; some maples and some elms mature seed immediately in the spring. For these species, spring is the time to gather seed for planting.
It’s unusual to think of planting landscape trees from seed, but it can be a lot of fun. You may be surprised at how quickly many tree seedlings will grow, especially if you use mulch to keep grass and weeds away from the base of the small seedling.
Most Seeds Can Be Started
Directly in Good Ground
Most tree seeds can be planted directly into friable soil in fall with
good germination results. Overwintering in the soil will give the seeds the necessary cold treatment to bring them out of dormancy in the spring. Be sure to place a stake or other market at the planting site, so you will know were to look for emerging seedling next year.
Some gardeners prefer to start tree seedlings in pots before putting them in the yard. To expose the seeds to the required cold temperatures, the pots can be kept outside, or the seeds can be stored in plastic bags filled with moist peat moss in the refrigerate for three to four months.
For Some Seeds,
Rub OfT Covering
A few tips for getting tree seeds started: For magnolia, rub the red, oily covering (known as the aril) off the seed using paper towels. Mix the seed with damp peat moss in a plastic bag, and seal it. Place the bags in a refrigerator or other consistently cool, moist sport for 90 to 120 days. Then the seeds can be planted in pots and put in greenhouse, under a light bank in the basement or in a bright, protected spot outdoors.
Oak, redbud, and many other tree seeds also can be treated this way. The redbud seed coat is very hard, and lightly scraping it with the edges of a file prior to the cold, moist treatment will help. Oak seeds, acoms, can be planted outdoors immediately. Once planted, most acoms, especially those of red oaks, won’t begin to germinate at all until next spring, but members of the white oak family may
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