Re: your mail

"cold stratify" is a very useful concept to know if you germinating seeds,
since maybe 1/3 of temperate-zone plants either require a cold treatment
to germinate, or at least germinate much better with this step.

Basically, this is a system to insure that seedlings emerge in spring.
Seeds have a chemical inhibiting germination, and the chemical is broken
down only at low [but generally above-freezing temperatures]. And only
after the seed has taken up moisture, making it metabolically active.

There are two basic approaches to cold-stratification: You can treat the
seed, and then plant it.  Stratifying generally meant layering seeds in
sand or other moisture-retaining medium, and holding it at the right
temperature.  then retrieving the seed and planting.

It's actually easier to stratify by placing the seed on moistened paper
towelling, in a sealled palstic sandwich bag, and putting in the
refrigerator.  Refrigerator temperatures around 35-40 F are just in the
right range for most species.  After the recommended time, you can
retrieve the seed and plant it in pots.

I handle a lot of seed, and almost never use refrigerator stratification.
rather, I plant most of my seed in 4-inch pots in January, place the pots
in flats, and leave outside, exposed to all weather.  Most kinds of seed
germinate, though I find some [Erythronium, or trout lilies] that need to
be planted even earlier in the winter -- they need more than the customary
4-8 weeks of cold temperatures. If I wait until mid-February, almost none
of the species requiring cold-stratification will germinate in the
outdoors treatment.  The cut-off date, though, will vary according to your
local climate and onset of warmer spring weather.



loren russell, corvallis, oregon

On Tue, 26 Jan 1999, Tuckered Tortoise Rescue wrote:

> Am very new at this..........so please be patient. What does it mean on the
> package when it says "cold stratify" the seeds for some specific amount of
> time.
> Thanks
> Diane
> 
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