Warm Stratification

[milehigh_7]

So I bought some Stwartia mondelpha seeds just for fun. Wow what a pain! No wonder they are not common. 120 day warm stratification followed by 90 days cold.

Now my question is with that long of a warm strat period what is the prefered technique and how in the world do you keep them from molding that long?

 

[0soyoung]

I have done stwartia pseudocamelia seeds. It helps a lot to dust the seed with GA3 before stratifying. It also helps to stratify for an entire year as this will produce close ot 100% sprouting. Else, some sprout after planting and most don't grow until the year after, some the year after and the rest get lost when you lose patience and'or repot the seedlings you got.

Sphagnum seems to be antifungal. I puree it with a lot of water in an old food-processor/blender and pour it over the seed bed with the seeds just strewn on top. I use Turface as my bonsai medium and it also works well for growing seedlings in this way.

Check out J.L. Huntsmand, Seedman (also a good source of GA3).

 

[Bunjeh]

I collected some Stewartia Pseudocamellia seeds from a park this fall and just planted them in peat and perlite in December outside in the cold frame. No idea if they will germinate but your mention of the fact that it can take up to a year makes sense. The tree I collected them from still had seed pods from the previous year with seeds in tact. So it would make sense that the natural cycle of the flower/seed would put the seeds at not hitting the ground until one year after flowering.

Sounds like a pain. Hope my cuttings strike!

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

For seed requiring warm stratification followed by cold stratification, I store the seed dry in the refrigerator until May, then soak 24 hours in water, then plant in the seed flat. Label the flat well with date planted and a "do not disturb for 2 years" note. Then leave the flat outside all summer, and winter with the appropriate hardiness group for the winter. A few may sprout right away, just let them grow. The bulk will sprout the following spring, and then there will be a few stragglers that will sprout the second spring. So plant in May 2015, main batch will sprout May 2016, and a few will come up 2017.

Maple seed if allowed to dry will follow this pattern, fresh maple seed, that ripens in spring (Acer rubrum & some others) will sprout right away, if planted immediately. But if a little dry will require the warm stratification followed by cold stratification. Fall ripening maples (palmatum & others) if kept moist and fresh, only need the cold stratification. But if any seed gets too dry needs they will sit dormant for the summer and sprout the following year.

Stewartia and many other species need the warm-cold treatment. This is why these species are so expensive. A pain to deal with.