This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: Acid scarification?

I've grown Celtis occidentalis from seed:  I tried scratching the seedcoat
with a carbide whetstone, as I do, successfully, with many legumes.  Only
a few germinated.  When I cut away a section [maybe 1mm square] of the
seedcoat, poured nearly-boiling water over the seeds, left them to cool
and soak overnight in the water, and then planted about 1/4 inch deep,
the seeds germinated at nearly 100 percent.  The seeds were planted
outdoors in mid-May, so temperature was in 50-75 degrees F while
germinating.

I would never use concentrated sulfuric acid if I didn't have to -- and I
doubt that there's anything that responds to the acid-etching, that won't
respond to mechanical scarification.                             

loren russell, corvallis, oregon
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index