Many seeds require a period of cold, damp storage to break-down their dormancy requirements.
A typical sequence involves fully rehydrating the seeds with a twenty-four hour water soak. Since they are not metabolically active, there are no worries about "drowning" them in anaerobic conditions. Some types of seeds rehydrate better when soaked in warm or hot water.
Next, the seeds are combined with damp porous media that allows oxygen to reach the seeds and stored at 40F to 45F for sixty-to-ninety days.
It boggles the mind to think that May 1 is only 90 days (give or take a few) from today.
In addition to the acorns (Quercus rubra (Pennsylvania source), Q. macrocarpa (Missouri) and Q. macrocarpa x robur hybrids) and pecans (Kanza and Goosepond) I have in cold storage, I am rehydrating:
- Bayberry (seed source Maine). Will not tolerate shade, otherwise very accepting of poor "sites". One of the few sources of high quality wax in temperate plants. Has the ability to fix nitrogen when roots encounter appropriate bacteria. To be planted on Houghton Muck soil.
- European Gray Alder (seed source Hungary). Will not tolerate shade. Tolerant of wet sites. Durable wood. Second most catalogued wood in British antiquity artifacts. Stems are arrow-straight. Fixes nitrogen. To be planted on Houghton Muck.
- Eastern Redbud (seed source Wisconsin). Beautiful flowers. Will tolerate light shade. To be planted on west-facing 10% to 15% slope. Said to fix nitrogen.
- Black Locust (seed source Germany). Intolerant of wet soils and shade. Very durable wood. High biomass production. Thorny. Good honey tree. Twisted stems when not crowded. Suckers. Recovers quickly after cutting. Fixes nitrogen.
The links have pretty good descriptions of the species.
The picture in my head is to mold the treated seeds with clay (and maybe some bone meal) to make pellets that I can sling across the landscape with abandon.
Any leads on clumping bentonite or other appropriate clay will be much appreciated.
Native species
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| Native range of Eastern Redbud |
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| Native range of Northern Red Oak |
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| Native range Bur Oak |
Of all of the species listed, only the Eastern Redbud, Quercus rubra and Q. macrocarpa are considered "native" to Michigan. Pecan and persimmons are native to Indiana's Wabash River valley. Black Locust's native range is difficult to pin down but most "experts" concede that it is native to the northern-eastern half of the Ohio River valley. Some maps show Northern Bayberry being native as far west as Erie, Pennsylvania on the southern shore of Lake Erie
This reminds me of classes in primary school where we grew cress on wet blotting paper and then, when we were old enough to do recognisable sketches, studied The Bean and The Hyacinth.
ReplyDeleteI remember almost nothing about primary school so those experiences must have been far more interesting than the other stuff we studied.