How I Artificially Cold Stratify Native Plant Seeds using the Refrigerator and Freezer
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- čas přidán 7. 08. 2024
- Here is another video where I show my process to artificially cold stratify native plant seeds in the refrigerator and freezer. I show two processes here: one is the standard process and the other is the fast forward process to save time. At the end of this video, I talk a little bit about the native blue flag iris.
09:30 Blue Flag Iris
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I got a birthday shout-out YAY!!!
Lol! I was wondering how long it was going to take for you to see that!
Thanks Michele. And yes, I have run across some of those seeds while retrieving something from your fridge!!
Bahahahhahahahahahahahhaha!!!!!!!!
Really nice how to video ,lots of info thanks
You are welcome!
Have you done a follow-up to this video? I'm wondering which method worked best especially the fast forward method.
Hi! No follow up video. The bluebell seeds I cold stratified in the freezer and put under the lights in the basement were not successful. However, I have had great success with the seeds I cold stratified in the refrigerator and then put outside in late Jan. So this tells me the fast forward method is not a good option for VA bluebells and even though the documented number of days for cold stratification is 60, the VA bluebells actually benefit from a longer cold period. The VA bluebell seeds that I did not cold stratify and just sowed and put out in Jan have not been as successful as the seeds I cold stratified in the refrigerator and then put out. More and more for me, sowing seeds in Nov and putting outside just seems like the easiest method. Using the refrigerator to artificially cold stratify seeds is a close second and then the freezer method.
Hi!! What were your results? Was one method more successful compared to the others?
Hi Kristen! Thank you so stopping in! My #1 way to sow is outdoors in flats (uncovered) in the mid-Nov to early December. This is by far where I see the highest germination success rates and it's also the easiest. Next would be the fridge, but you need to make sure and keep an eye out for mold and make sure you don't make the coffee filter or paper towel too damp. And then the freezer comes in third as far as germination success rates go. Now, these are NOT scientific conclusion, just what I have seen over the years. I still do all three and I would pop something in the freezer now if I wanted to get a plant going that I forgot. Let me know if you have any other questions. Sorry for the slow response!
After you do the 'fast forward' method, how long do you leave the seeds in the flat usually before transplanting them to their new home? You mentioned putting them out at night to get cold. Do you leave them outside 24 hrs/day or is there a benefit in bringing them in the warm house during the day by a window to speed up the process? Do you thin and transplant them into individual pots before planting outside?
Hi! For any of the methods I use, I will transplant to their new home once they reach a certain size. Depending on the plant this varies from early summer to the middle of fall. If they are coming out of 3 inch pots or deep cell plugs i want them to have a good root structure. A way to describe this is I wouldn't want the plant to fall all apart when taking it out of its container. I want there to be enough root structure that the roots or holding on to the soil.
If you are planting natives, my suggestions is to sow the seeds in deep cell plug trays in the fall, leave them outside all winter (24x7) and then they seeds will germinate in the spring. The plants can stay in the deep cell plug trays until they are ready to be transplanted in the garden. If you are trying to grow a native where the seed doesn't require any cold stratification, do this in the late summer so you'll have bigger plants in the spring.
If I am cold stratifying using the fridge or freezer, I may still sow in flats outside depending on how much time is left in the winter. If I try to germinate under lights in the house, they stay under the lights in the basement all winter, I don't move them in and out. The only thing I am moving in and out right now are my veggies so they can get the natural sun, but I pull them in if it is going to be too cold at night.
With natives I don't really thin and transplant unless I am moving them from a seed tray to individual pots or cells.
Let me know if you have any other questions! :)
Can you translate to Arabic 😔
Do you happen to know if there is a setting in CZcams I can turn on that will do that automatically, maybe in the subtitles?