2021 Forest from seed

[ghues]

Collected a few Japanese Maple, Amur Maple and a yet to be determined seed.....two methods, fridge and ground method.

 

[0soyoung]

Do you know that you collected viable seed?


just curious.

 

[ghues]

No, just took the seeds from neighbourhood Trees. It’s worked really well in the past, actually the biggest germination in the last two years has come from the seeds in the dirt garden.... not from the ones, I’ve soaked, removed floaters, damaged ones and put in the fridge, then into grow flats. Only time will tell.

 

[0soyoung]

You have a history with the seed sources = good enough.
As you know, maples make samaras even if the flowers were not pollinated.

 

[leatherback]

As you know, maples make samaras even if the flowers were not pollinated.

Never knew this!
Good days when you learn things

 

[0soyoung]

Never knew this!
Good days when you learn things

I wasted a few years before I learned to simply cut a sample of seeds gathered from an 'unknown' tree. Seeds from unpollinated flowers are hollow shells --> there is no embryo inside!

 

[ghues]

I wasted a few years before I learned to simply cut a sample of seeds gathered from an 'unknown' tree. Seeds from unpollinated flowers are hollow shells --> there is no embryo inside!

Did a lot of exploring embryo development...industrial collection of conifer cone crops (seed) for forest seedlings......for almost 35 years..from mid summer into the fall, identified potential cone crops (throughout the target elevation bands and Tenure ), using samples and monitoring technology to determine the maturity of the seed. Using a mini magnifying lens the average embryo development (100 different cones from many different trees) had the be above 75%. Collection would aim for about 2-3= weeks after we met target embryo development. Up here forest companies have to have a 10 year seed supply for about 8-10 conifer species and that’s just our coast, the interior has that many and more species. There is an average of 218 million seedlings planted a year in BC.

 

[0soyoung]

Not meaning to derail your thread ..

How does one monitor embryo development with confers. I found some Sitka this summer with abundant strobili, but when I gathered cones in October, I didn't find many seeds.

 

[ghues]

Not meaning to derail your thread ..

How does one monitor embryo development with confers. I found some Sitka this summer with abundant strobili, but when I gathered cones in October, I didn't find many seeds.

As you know fertilization require specific conditions to align themselves.
To check For conifers, cut the cone in 1/2 length wise, the some of the seeds will be cut too, check embryo development.

 

[ghues]

Many have germinated in various containers and soil mixtures. Will separate doubles, up size them all into four inch pots cutting off the tap root. The mix will be pumice, perlite and a little sifted bark.