Tree Seeds

Tree seeds are the tree’s way to bring its next generation into the world. The genetic material of the tree is passed from one generation to another by means of seeds. Without seeds, trees would be unable to propagate their species.

In most cases, trees can be grown directly from the seeds. But, in some cases, it is easier to use cuttings. Germinating seeds to grow trees is not as easy as it may sound. In many cases, the sapling that grows from seeds is very tender and fragile and needs a lot of care and attention compared to a rafted cutting. Also, in some cases, growing trees from seeds may be virtually impossible, especially in cases of hybrid trees whose seeds mostly turn out to be sterile. Even if a tree grows from the seeds of a hybrid tree, its character may be very different from that of its parent tree.

All species of trees need unique conditions for their tree seeds to germinate naturally. Their seeds are also formed in a way that helps propagation. For instance, seeds do not germinate immediately after falling to the ground. If they did, they would be too tender to survive the harsh winter. Instead, the embryo inside the seed remains immature until the right time, which is usually the next spring. The dormancy of the embryo ensures that the genes of the tree survive the harsh climatic conditions of winter and are ready to germinate by the time spring arrives.

While the natural method of germination has been perfected by trees, humans need to use assisted methods of germinating trees from seeds. Seeds are given treatment in a one or two step process to stimulate the process of germination. The three steps include:

• Scarification: The process of reducing the seed coat seeds or breaking it down to enable moisture to penetrate and start the germination process of the embryo is called Scarification. Scarification is a process typically required for seeds which have dense or hard seed shells. There are many tree seeds that do not need scarification, and even for those that do, the process of scarification is a simple one. There are three ways of breaking down hard seed coats. They are: a) a water soak, b) a physical or mechanical breaking of the seed coat, or c) a chemical or acid treatment (not commonly used).

• Cold Stratification: By exposing seeds to cool and moist conditions, the process of the natural over-wintering process can be mimicked. This is called ‘Cold Stratification.’
• Warm Stratification: Conversely, warm stratification is a process designed to mimic the seed’s summer dormancy. Hence it is exposed to warm damp soil or mud.

Planting Of Tree Seeds

Once the treatment process is complete, the seeds then need to be planted appropriately to successfully grow a tree. The seeds have to planted at the right depth into the soil to ensure that the seed does not get underexposed or overexposed to the climatic conditions that will spur its growth.