Pacific Northwest trees from seed

[Cruiser]

More Larix lyallii (alpine larch). These seeds were not soaked in hydrogen peroxide.

They’re tedious to remove from the cone…so I tried squishing some cones apart instead.



Big-cone Douglas-fir. In freezer for 5 months.


Metasequoia glyptostroboides (dawn redwood)
In freezer 3 months.

 

[Cruiser]

Abies grandis (grand fir) collected around Mt Rainier Fall 2024. Cone frozen for 6 months.

Beautiful lemon-lime cone. Squished apart easily.



Seed and wing imprint on scale underside.

Scale bracts are small.


Seed wings aid dispersal.


Dozens (maybe over a hundred) seeds were sowed in a window planter box. Substrate is 50/50 bark-pumice fines.

 

[Cruiser]

More Abies amabilis (silver fir). Collected Fall 2024. Cone frozen for 6 months.


Though only a partial cone, it’s a meaty one. Lots of robust seeds within.


Scale underside.

Small “spade” bracts.


Silver fir typically establishes under a closed canopy. Large seeds provide more energy to help it find a foothold.


Seed sowed in window planter box. 50/50 pumice-bark fines.

 

[bpancakes]

Awesome thread! I collected a lot of similar seeds last year, didnt get quite as good germination results as you thats for sure. I am still hoping some come up. I couldnt find an appropriate thread for random beginner questions so I figured I'd ask you local neighbors: is this bud swelling and is it too early or around the right time to pot up some maple seedlings I collected last year and put in flats? It was 29 when I woke up today, the daffodils dont have fully formed heads and Alnus rubra are just barelyy breaking buds or maybe just swelling. I was thinking of waiting another week ish? Sorry to derail your thread, if someone points me in the right direction I'll remove this

 

[Cruiser]

Awesome thread! I collected a lot of similar seeds last year, didnt get quite as good germination results as you thats for sure. I am still hoping some come up. I couldnt find an appropriate thread for random beginner questions so I figured I'd ask you local neighbors: is this bud swelling and is it too early or around the right time to pot up some maple seedlings I collected last year and put in flats? It was 29 when I woke up today, the daffodils dont have fully formed heads and Alnus rubra are just barelyy breaking buds or maybe just swelling. I was thinking of waiting another week ish? Sorry to derail your thread, if someone points me in the right direction I'll remove this

That should be fine to repot now. Another week is ok too.

 

[bpancakes]

That should be fine to repot now. Another week is ok too.

Great, I appreciate the response. I am going to keep an eye out for Larix lyallii after seeing that tree you collected from in the cascades. Super pretty tree

 

[Coppersdad]

Awesome thread! I collected a lot of similar seeds last year, didnt get quite as good germination results as you thats for sure. I am still hoping some come up. I couldnt find an appropriate thread for random beginner questions so I figured I'd ask you local neighbors: is this bud swelling and is it too early or around the right time to pot up some maple seedlings I collected last year and put in flats? It was 29 when I woke up today, the daffodils dont have fully formed heads and Alnus rubra are just barelyy breaking buds or maybe just swelling. I was thinking of waiting another week ish? Sorry to derail your thread, if someone points me in the right direction I'll remove this

And, just south of Bellevue it was in the low 40's this morning! Just goes to remind us, our government may say all of us are in 8b, BUT, it has more to do with last frost. AND, there's these little things called mountains and a rather important thing called "a microclimate".


@Cruiser thank you! Reading this entire thread has given me an even greater appreciation (and I already am grateful) for the privilege of living where we live. I am thankful for the diversity of our native trees. I know it's a unique honor/blessing of being able to look out my window and see these trees and the beauty of the mountain.

 

[bpancakes]

And, just south of Bellevue it was in the low 40's this morning! Just goes to remind us, our government may say all of us are in 8b, BUT, it has more to do with last frost. AND, there's these little things called mountains and a rather important thing called "a microclimate".

Yea I am a little higher elevation than the nearest weather station, as well as close to some mountains that create some interesting weather patterns. 28 this morning! Last year I learned that just because I am dialing in my last frost date doesnt mean we are immediately going to be cranking up the warm weather; it takes a few weeks after that for us to get going.

 

[Cruiser]

Spring 2025 seedling establishment update:

Alpine larch: no germination/seedlings
Big-cone Douglas-fir: nothing
Metasequoia: nope
Silver fir: diddly squat
Grand fir: 1 seedling has sprouted

On the plus side, all of these seedling containers were colonized by western hemlock.



New batches of alpine larch and big-cone Douglas-fir were started this evening. (Summer 2025 batch)

20 peroxide-soaked Larix seeds in a pond basket. 1/8” pumice-df bark. Seeds are so tiny, caution needed for watering b/c they’ll fall out the basket holes…


4 crushed Larix cones spread atop 1/8” pumice-df bark in a root pouch.


20ish Pseudotsuga seeds spread over 1/8” pumice-df bark in a root pouch.


In the wild, alpine larch seeds commonly germinate in July due to where they grow…so hopefully this batch succeeds.

 

[bpancakes]

+1! But dang dude, unlucky so far. Hope they pop! I was pretty surprised with my flats of seeds, I also went 0-for except for a few I didnt intentionally plant. Is now the time of year you usually look to plant larch and doug fir seeds, or what local seeds are we looking to start collecting/planting soon?

 

[Cruiser]

+1! But dang dude, unlucky so far. Hope they pop! I was pretty surprised with my flats of seeds, I also went 0-for except for a few I didnt intentionally plant. Is now the time of year you usually look to plant larch and doug fir seeds, or what local seeds are we looking to start collecting/planting soon?

Cone crops/seed viability can be poor some years for a number of reasons. Just how it is sometimes.
The larch seed I’m using is old so it’s possible none of them are viable to begin with.

I sow most seeds in late winter-Spring. Not this time of year, it’s too hot and dry.
(The viability of my bigcone df and larch seed is going down, so it makes more sense to plant now than wait until Spring ‘26.)

For most PNW conifers, seed cones should be collected late Summer-Fall.

 

[Coppersdad]

Cone crops/seed viability can be poor some years for a number of reasons. Just how it is sometimes.

I have only used seed from a supplier. In my case, Sheffield Seed. I'm not making a recommendation for any company. Just saying I've had good results with a commercial supplier. My success with locally acquired seed has not been good. While saying that, all of my southern bald cypress commercial seed failed this year.
What has consistently worked well for me is Japanese Larch and JBP.
I plant in a greenhouse in November and only provide heat under the seed trays.
You can draw whatever conclusions you may from the above.