HYB: stratification seeds - another experiment
iris@hort.net
  • Subject: HYB: stratification seeds - another experiment
  • From: L* M* <1*@rewrite.hort.net>
  • Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 08:03:54 -0400
This year, I'm putting fresh (not dried) seeds straight into a baggie (no towel, or added moisture), closing it (not sealed) with a twist tie, then into a bigger zip lock bag, zipped ~90% closed, with half an apple for moisture.
First seeds went in Sunday (today is Thursday), and I like what I see - a few drops of moisture condensing from the apple on the inside of the ziplock. Just right. I got the idea of using a cut apple from what we used to do to soften brown sugar after it turned into a brick - cut piece of apple, close up the box, and like magic, the next day it would be soft again.
I've not been happy with moisture/air circulation for my stratifying seeds. Used to wrap seeds in a slightly damp paper towel burrito style, but had to unwrap to inspect seeds, sometimes forgot to monitor them and lost a cross now and then. Plants are so stressed here, they produce a lot (?) of seeds that aren't viable anyway, so never was sure if it was the burrito or the seeds.
Last year, I tried a damp paper towel inside the sandwich baggies, but not wrapped around the seeds. Just wadded up on top of them. But I wasn't totally happy with that either. I could see the seeds, but moisture wasn't consistent enough to suit me. & some got a bit 'furry'.
Because of erratic viability, % that sprout won't tell me a lot, but if the seeds that start out looking good are still looking good, I'll be happy. Only one cross with a lot of good looking seeds so far, much worse breeding season than usual this year. Some of the seeds that look bad from other crosses will probably be ok. Few seeds. 

Linda Mann

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