Firethorn from seed?

[Chub]

Was thinking about throwing some of my Firethorn berries in a pot to see if they will sprout. Would I have to remove the seeds and plant them for this to work, or can I plant the berry whole and the fruit will just rot away and the seeds take root naturally?

 

[ghues]

If you goggle "germinating Firethron seeds" you're bound to get 100's of hits. I suspect that you'll have to take the outer flesh off and stratify the seeds in the fridge or outdoors overwinter.
G

 

[sfhellwig]

Not sure about stratification, probably. As for removing the fruit, yes you will need to remove the pulp and rinse. Most berries of this type contain germination inhibitors. It is in the hopes that a bird will pass it along somewhere else instead of germinating at the parent plant's feet.

 

[Smoke]

Was thinking about throwing some of my Firethorn berries in a pot to see if they will sprout. Would I have to remove the seeds and plant them for this to work, or can I plant the berry whole and the fruit will just rot away and the seeds take root naturally?

Pyracantha pomes (berries) are not poisenous as once thought. They can beocome nauseating if eaten in large quantities but a few popped in the mouth and swallowed could be just the ticket. Next morning the "fertilizer pellet" can be planted.

Good luck, Al

 

[Gnome]

Chub,

I successfully germinated a flat of these in the spring of 2008. The seeds were cleaned and stratified from the fall of 2007 until late January when I noticed germination beginning. At this time I planted them in a flat and returned them to cold storage. By late February many were up and I was forced to bring them inside under fluorescents. I thinned them aggressively early and allowed the flat to grow largely undisturbed until the spring of 2009 when I began potting them up. Here's a picture from March first 2008 when they were just getting started. I think you should plan on cleaning them and sowing them thinly otherwise they may be way too close.

Norm