I'm starting a small personal tree nursery in pots this spring that I will take with me to a future homestead.
I've found a strong calling to propagate and plant trees in my lifetime. Our planet can use more trees badly and in a hurry.
- Enough new trees in the ground can halt and reverse global warming through carbon sequestration.
- Spending time in the forest reminds me how good it feels to be in an oxygen rich environment that trees can provide.
- Trees can provide food for me in years to come and especially for future generations.
- The more food we harvest from trees, the less need there is for industrial agriculture (which is damaging to the environment and adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere).
- Trees provide food and habitat for nature's creatures.
- Trees are a natural source of fuel and energy.
While there are so many more reasons to plant trees, these are in my opinion the most important.
So I was excited when my friend gave me some tree seeds the other day because I had just decided I was mentally and physically ready to start a small mobile nursery :)
Keep in mind I am relatively new to propagating trees from seed. I am here to share what I know, but there's also a lot that I don't know - to the experts out there, if I missed something important please don't hesitate to share in the comments!
Why Start Trees From Seed?
I've been asked why I would want to plant a nut tree from seed when it can take 15-20 years to start producing nuts. I'll be a lot older by then and while there's a fairly good chance I'll see that happen I'm also not as ripe as I used to be - meaning there might not be many years of enjoyment after the trees start producing heavily.
A cloned tree (propagated from grafting, cuttings, root sprouts or layering) can produce fruit or nuts many many years sooner than a tree sprouted by seed. You may still have to wait 5-10 years for a good harvest depending on the species. But that's a lot quicker than planting by seed. That's a great argument for only cloning trees.
So why am I going to the trouble of planting from seed?
I come from a world of instant gratification. Planting trees from seed reminds me of the bigger picture. The world around me means everything to me, but I am less significant to the world. Instead of taking, if I give then I receive the true gift of connecting with the world. Planting trees by seed slows down my expectations and reminds me of the real reason why I am planting a tree. I don't need a nut tree. I can buy nuts from the store or better yet walk out into the forest and harvest acorns to my heart's content. Planting a tree is not a means of survival in a world of instant gratification. It is a symbol or gesture of appreciation for the natural world, eco systems and life cycles that we depend on under all the complex layers of or modern society.
Cloning (grafting, etc) trees allow us to have the same exact result when it comes to fruit and nuts. Which is great because when you want a Bosc pear tree, the tree gives you Bosc pears. But sexual reproduction is where its really at. Allowing trees to cross pollinate and growing a tree from the resulting seeds is allowing nature to express itself and to evolve. Don't get me wrong, I am all for cloning also which has great short term benefits, but I think that if all of our trees were grafted we would be creating weak orchards, groves and forests. I prefer to let go of absolute control and allow nature to express itself, allow it to produce variability. I will not get the same fruit that I expected, some trees' fruit will be better tasting, some will be not as good tasting. And there will be variability in genetics which would theoretically make a stand of trees more robust and resilient to problems like disease or pests.
While nature does clone trees in the wild (e.g. layering or root sprouts), sexual propagation is one of the primary ways of propagating most tree species. There's something romantic about allowing the pollen to fertilize the seeds of the trees that will live in my own garden.
It's cheap. You don't have to buy ANYTHING. You don't have to buy a tree, imagine that! You can save the seed yourself (or ask a friend for one or find some in nature), use your own soil and re-purpose a pot. If you don't have any nursery pots you can use a cardboard milk jug or a plastic yogurt container. If you don't have any of those you can put the seed right in the ground!
How I Planted These Seeds
I like this approach of planting seeds in pots because it keeps things simple and mobile (mobile since I don't know where the trees will be planted yet ;). The seeds my friend shared with me were already cold stratified over the winter so they are ready to sprout and don't require any cold stratification. So I simply put them in contact with soil.
I prepped the pots by first putting some leaves at the bottom to help hold in the soil. This is not necessary but I like doing it anyway - I feel good about it.
Then I add some potting soil. You'll want good drainage. A mixture with a good percent of sand is ideal. But any good potting soil would do. I am careful not to fill the pots too high because I want to add the seeds and then cover them with an adequate amount of soil.
I am planting Chinese Chestnut, Buartnut, Black Walnut and Osage Orange. Spacing them fairly evenly is nice... but I'll be up potting them when they get big enough, so the spacing is not too critical.
They are covered with soil. I'm going for about 2 times the height of the seeds, more or less.
And labeled so that I don't forget what is what.
Finally I cover the pots with leaves. Again not critical but I like doing this because it helps prevent soil from splashing out and keeps the soil cooler and moister longer which will come in handy in the summer.
I put the pots out where they can get rained on. In the hotter part of the year its a good idea to keep them under some shade or dappled light. Direct sun all day might be a bit harsh.
If you suspect mice or rodents to be a problem (they do like to eat nuts and seeds) create a barrier so they cannot get into your soil and dig up the seeds. Hardware cloth can be good for that.
Cold Stratifying Outdoors
If a seed needs to be cold stratified that is a fancy way of saying that the seed needs to be in a cold moist environment for a certain period of time in order to germinate. It is part of a key combination that unlocks the seed. The combination includes factors such as temperature, oxygen, moisture and light.
The seeds I planted above were already cold stratified so I could just plant them in pots, now that spring is around the corner it is perfect timing for them to potentially "unlock" and germinate.
But what if the seed wasn't cold stratified? There are two common ways to cold stratify the seeds and here they are:
Stratification Method #1: Let Nature Cold Stratify for You
Cold stratification is basically letting the process of winter unlock the seeds. The easiest way to do that is to put the seeds through winter. If you live in a cold enough climate where there is actually a winter you can do this.
The timing is important. Take your seeds in the fall or winter and put them in pots like I did above. Then put them outside where they can freeze/thaw with the weather. Make sure they're protected from mice (more critical in the winter when food is scarce).
That's it! Then don't let the pots dry out when the weather warms and wait for them to sprout. Depending on the type of tree it can take 2 years or more to "unlock" so don't give up if it doesn't sprout by the end of spring.
Stratification Method #2: Pseudo Winter in the Fridge
Here's how you can cold stratify the seeds yourself which can come in handy if your winters don't get cold enough, or if you didn't get around to sticking them outside early enough for them to have time to cold stratify outdoors.
I find myself in the latter case. Winter is almost over and I find myself ready to start a tree nursery. Last winter this wasn't on my mind or it wasn't a priority otherwise I would have followed the previous method.
Now I find myself not wanting to wait another year to get started so I will create a cold stratifying environment for the seeds in the refrigerator. Many of the seeds I am working with require a stratification period for 2-3 months. Some less and some more.
So if it is mid march and I am aiming for 3 months stratification that brings me to mid June. That means that seeds might sprout in the summer or even later in the year. It's not ideal. Ideally I would have planned my cold stratification period to be ending right at the time spring was starting, so that the trees have enough chance to potentially sprout earlier in the year and enough time to develop as much as possible before next winter.
Anyway, I'm still going for it and let's see how it turns out this year and next year!
I read that it's best to create a mixture of 50/50 peat moss and sand. Ideally it is sterile to prevent any molds/fungus from happening during the time its stratifying. Enough water is applied so that it is a moist but not sopping environment for the seeds to live in.
I have some sand but I don't have peat moss. I did find another readily available resource that is growing abundant around here. I am not really sure if it is a moss but it definitely has the qualities I am looking for... moisture retention. I believe you could also use coconut coir in place of peat moss but don't quote me on that ;)
So I used a 50/50 mix of this moss and sand. Neither are sterile. I will be diligent about keeping an eye out for problems of anything funky growing in there and deal with it if it becomes an issue.
I put a small amount of the mixture into a baggy and added the seeds. Here are some plum seeds.
All of my bags are labeled and I keep track of the date their stratification period starts separately. Now I stick them in the fridge! My work is done for now.
Scarification
Is this some kind of S&M? No.. well not for us, maybe for the seeds. Some seeds require scarification in order to unlock. Because their seed shell is so tough it takes some extra process to open them up. Ways that seeds can get scarified in the wild include heat (fire), abrasion (nicking or scraping), acid (passing through a bird's stomach).
In the case of several of the seeds I am stratifying I need to scarify them first by placing them in warm water for 24 hours. Don't lose track of which is which if you are doing more than one ;)
After the scarification is done, I take the seeds out and then put them into their stratification baggie and stick them in the fridge.
Some seeds require a long scarification period like 3-6 months. For those, I will put them in puts this spring or summer and let them sit in a warm place while keeping them moist, and then let them stratify outdoors next winter.
And by the way.. not all tree seeds need cold stratification. If your seeds don't you can skip the whole cold stratification thing and just plunk them in pots in early spring or whenever the weather is warm enough in your climate.
Propagating Native Nut Trees
The other day while I was hiking around looking for mushrooms I noticed an acorn sprouting on the forest floor.
Wow that is so beautiful to witness a new life being born! As I looked closer they were sprouting everywhere! How incredible that the oak trees produced SO MUCH abundance of acorns last fall that after feeding critters all winter long there are still a huge abundance of nuts that are sprouting into potentially new trees. Also incredible is that the moisture and temperature conditions are just right for the nuts to sprout above the ground, they don't even need to be covered. That blows my mind and gives me more respect for nature.
With such an abundance of acorns sprouting I took the opportunity to bring some back with me to nurse into young trees to either plant or give away later. It will be fun to see what happens.
Nature already stratified AND germinated these seeds. All that's left to do is plant them :) I followed the same process as above covering them with a relatively thin layer of soil so that they stay moist.
I hope you enjoyed this post! I'll definitely keep you updated throughout the year as the seeds do or don't germinate and grow.
Who is @sagescrub?
I am a ex-suburbanite turned permaculture homesteader. Follow my journey and I will share what I know and am learning along the way. You can learn more about me in my re-introducing @sagescrub post. Wishing you abundance in your life!
Please know that I am NOT an expert on any of the subjects that I present nor do I claim to be. So do your own research and take anything I say or do with a grain of salt!
Such a great Outlook. You're absolutely right! We need more trees. If only the majority of people understood just how much they need us, and we need them! We thrive together.
I've had some store bought hazelnuts in the freezer since Christmas. About a pound worth. I need to take them out, crack the shells, soak overnight, then see if I can get them germinated. Might try that with almonds, too. I really really want hazelnuts here. Black walnuts are too difficult to process. We have Hawthorne trees and a few different oaks. I think also a pecan tree along the spring. It's almost time to go treasure hunting haha!
Hope your tree starts turn out well!
Thanks for this very useful info on growing trees from seed, @sagescrub. About your discourse on vegetative vs. sexual propagation, I'd say let's do both. Given the circumstances, however, (our culture of instant gratification) I'm completely with you that seeds are where it's at. Awesome article! Resteemed.
One question, @sagescrub, or rather a little help: I really like the banners at the bottom of your posts, as these are two communities I also like to contribute to, and I would like to use them in my posts in the same way. I've talked to @eco-alex and @greenacrehome about it, got their okay, so all I need is to do it. What I especially like about yours are not just the banners but the tag, the website, and link to the discord under each one.
Could you do me a huge favor and send me the code for them so I can include these banners in the same way into my posts? Coding (even using markdown) is really not my forte, so this would be a great help, and I would appreciate it immensely.
Oh no problem! It is kind of second nature to me since I have a background in web design. I am glad to share the markdown. If you private message me in discord ( you can find me in either community) I will attach the markdown.
Oh thanks, but as you can see at the end of my last couple of posts, I've figured it out. It looks a lot like yours, actually.
Nice going!!
Totally! I agree about taking the "both" approach and also choosing which is appropriate for our goals :) For my own goals I choose to start with seeds because they take longer but I will definitely want some grafted trees for earlier gratification :)
I am known as the tree lady here. Since moving to the homestead 7 years ago I have literally started hundreds of trees from seeds. I have planted at least 100 fruit trees here and donated or sold hundreds more to the community. It has been a slow movement but I am slowly turning our fishing village into a forest of fruit trees at the beach! Papaya is a favourite as well as icaco or Coco plum. I may not benefit from the fruits of my labours but my children and grandchildren will.
Oh, I'm sure you are already benefiting from the fruits of your labor. Even if not literally (though a seven year old papaya tree is bound to be laden with fruit), but the shade they provide, the birds and other creatures they feed and give shelter to, not to mention the gratitude of the community. So wonderful to read about the awesome things you're doing.
I have gotten a few papayas, the birds manage to get a lot. We didn't have much in the line of wildlife when we came now we do. So you are right, I am reaping some of the benefits now. Sometimes it is hard to see the forest for the trees. Thanks for pointing that out.
That is so amazing!! I hope to follow in your footsteps over here and planting hundreds or thousands of trees in the near future :) Wow papayas are so good. I haven't tried icaco or coco plum, they sound interesting. I did plant some Pawpaw seeds today which is as close to a tropical fruit that I can grow in this climate without a special greenhouse. So good of you to plant all of those trees for your grandchildren :)
@sagescrub great post and very well explained. Raising trees from seed was a hobby of mine in my early 20's. I used clean sand, no peat moss, sterilized in my mothers oven. It worked very well. The moist un-sterilized sand will grow fungus on the seeds, destroying them. Good luck it is a very rewarding hobby. I now have 50 foot trees producing their own seeds.
Thanks for the warning about the fungus. Was the fungus visible where you can see it growing before it is too late? So nice to hear that you are harvesting the fruits of your labors many years later :)
No you can't see it. Sterilizing is a basic step.
Oh I see! It sounds much more serious than I realized. I hope I didn't shoot myself in the foot this time.
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Thats great info. Trees are an essential part of a food garden and once you get used to their slower rhythms, they are a joy in themselves.
Well said! They really are helping me slow down to appreciate their rhythms :)
I really like what you said about bigger picture vs instant gratification. Kudos to taking the long road and increasing genetic diversity. The buartnut it one i've been considering and I actually got the Martin Crawford book as per your suggestion.
There's a lot of potential here in the tree propogation realm and I commend and applaud your efforts. Thanks for doing your part.
We have a couple of dozen wild paw paw seeds that I'm hoping with peek up soon.
Thanks @mountainjewel! How coincidental, I just put some pawpaw seeds in a pot today :) Hopefully we both get some pawpaws germinating soon! How do you like the book so far?
Pawpaw is one of the trees I tried ordering from the missouri department of conversation. They were sold out. I'm on a waiting list. Will have to order fast this fall. Beautiful trees, too! Is that where you got your pawpaw's @mountainjewel?
What a wonderful post!! I just found your in 'post-promotion' in @qurator and am so glad I did ;) You blog made me think of so many different things, that I feel the need to respond in bullet fashion;)
I grew up on a farm and love to see that growing mentality you have. It was really becoming a lost art I think, but it certainly seems to be alive in the homesteading community. My parents (still on the farm) have a neighbour who planted acres of nut trees years ago; it is simply beautiful. He just sold his property and my parents are sitting on pins and needles, hoping the new owners decide to keep it all as is, because as you are aware, it is also a lot of work to upkeep!
Instant Gratification! Wow, don't get me started :) We live in a world of drive-thru everything, me me me; want want want !! I taught high school for years, and loved it, but during that time, I witnessed the change in our societal expectations reflected on the kids I taught change over the years; instant gratification was one of those changes.
As past-urbanites, My husband and I sold everything and moved from a major city in Canada to a little corner of the world in Mexico. We are loving the simplicity here!
Can't argue with that one haha
I could go on, but soon my response will be the length of your post:) Thank you again for this; I absolutely loved it! Cheers :)
I definitely grew up in suburbia so the homesteading/farming/rural lifestyle is still new to me. But the "growing mentality" you speak of is something that is definitely an art form. It is something that can't be learned quickly and we learn at the pace of the garden and the plants and the seasons.
Whoever got ahold of that nut orchard is really lucky.. I hope they think so too.
I am so glad that you were able to find a place where you can slow down and live more simply and in tune with what is important in your life!
Thanks for stopping by and your nice comment and positive energy :)
That is so beautiful and so true!
I hope the new owners realise the same thing!
And thank you, yes, we feel so very fortunate to be here!
That is so kind of you to say; the pleasure was mine ;)
I appreciate your willingness to start from the beginning of the process instead of trying to bypass things with an "instant" version. I love your reasons for planting trees. Best of luck as you move forward! I hope you have many years to enjoy the fruit of your labor.
Thank you @sumatranate for your comment and your kind wishes :)
Your post has been featured in this week's earth-centered curation @the-hearth.
Thanks for writing such fantastic and inspiring content!
Another gem of a post! We can all do this one! I love trees with a passion and can't help but pot all the accidental seedlings I find in my minature garden to make minature (not quite bonsai) trees. I am in two minds about that always, because there is nothing more gratifyinig than letting a tree grow to its full height, girth and spread. But through my mini trees I still manage to connect to their soul group and wish them well on a larger scale.
Your tree sowing motivations are beautifully meditative and make all the difference. You should be in the woods for all the trees soon!
I agree!
gem indeed!
I do the same - seeds and seeds and some cuttings sometimes
Thanks @sukhasanasister! I haven't delved deeply into bonsai trees (only some initial prunings), but I definitely feel an affinity for them when I see them in photos or in person. I can imagine how there is so much beauty, meditation, creativity and connection that comes out of the art of bonsai. It seems like there infinitely many ways a tree can express itself through natural or human intervention. Thank you for your kind wishes... I do hope to be in the woods much more often this year appreciating nature and finding inspiration :)
Thanks for the tips! I had read about cold stratification, but it was a brief quip that basically said to put them in the freezer for a bit, with no other detail. This makes far more sense!
Interesting... in general most of the sources that I have read was moist but not sopping and in the fridge, not the freezer... in the just above freezing to 40 F range. In nature seeds go through freeze and thaw outdoors, so freezer sounds intuitive to me too, but that is what I have read. Interesting that there are different approaches.
I love collecting any seed and trying to germinate. I am fascinated with watching the growth. I collected Walnuts from My Husbands Aunts house last year for eating, but this is funny bare with me. I put them outside to dry. Layered them out on a piece of cardboard. About day 2 I see a squirrel stealing my nuts. That night I took a wooden apple crate and piled them up and put the crate on top. I was willing to share a few during the day, but not all night :). Next morning I go out and the little booger had chewed out the handles doubling the wooden holes size. I had to move to plan B. I am planning on planting a few in pots so this was a great reminder and laid out my do dos for me. I am seeing acorns starting to root in our woods too.
Thanks for a great read.
OMG! That squirrel ran off with your nuts! Sorry to hear that.. .but that will make you more savvy in the future :) Thanks for sharing the story of the resilient and persistent squirrel :)
From what I have heard you don't want to dry out walnuts because the seed would lose viability (opposite of what you do if you want to store them for food) I believe that if you don't put them in soil to overwinter, the best way to store them is in some damp sand in a cool dark place over winter.
That makes sense! Maybe I will wait to start the walnuts next year. Thank you!
I adore this post! Trees are so dear to me too. It will be so delightful to journey with you on this adventure you're beginning with these tree seeds. The sprouting acorns!!!! What inspiration 🌱 🙏 lil' seeds!!! Love this. Thank-you @sagescrub
I also somehow noticed you're the kind soul that connected me with sbi! Thank-you!! So much! It is the sweetest gift to get that vote. I really appreciate your generosity. Hugs! (If you're ok with that?)
Yay for trees @yogajill! Yes it is so exciting to learn about trees and be part of the process of nurturing them while they are starting their journey in life.
So glad that you are enjoying the SBI :) Hugs back ... I hope you are having a great week :)
Great post!! We need just more and more reminders to plant, reforest, save seeds and help regenerate Mother Earth. Love what you do.... more please. Organic coffee is on me if you ever get to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand.
Thank you for that encouragement :) You bet! More is on the way! I have to remind myself as well from time to time and ask myself what am I doing to help make this world a better place.
Thanks for the invite and the offer for some coffee. Sounds great! Who knows, maybe I will take you up on it one day :)
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Cheers
That is so great @el-nailul! What seeds are you planting or did you plant? What are your favorites? I am curious :)
I am glad to find one more tree-lover and protector among us! I agree with you that more trees in the ground can contribute to a better future for all!
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Hey @sashagenji, your effort to spread joy through pictures and art is so wonderful... it has brightened my day more than once already. Thanks for going to all the trouble and spreading good vibes on steemit :)
I was glad to read someone else's similar thoughts on letting nature do her 'thing' when it comes to reproducing.
I get why people graft, etc, but I have often pondered on just what we are stopping by not allowing trees to evolve naturally in response to climate and other needs.
Exactly!! Well said. It's good to strive for balance, not too much control in our lives and letting go to mother nature because she already knows what to do... after all that's where we came from :)
The beautiful nature we have really allows us to do our planting without stress. This is amazing
Yeah! We just have to follow nature.. she has it figured out for us already!
Yeah sure
My Gram told me that the best time to plant a tree has already passed, but it’s never too late. Her dad told her that we plant trees for our children.
We want to start some walnut trees this year. We just have to make room to keep a bunch of trees in buckets for a couple years!
So your great granfather and your grandmother planted trees for you!! What a beautiful discovery that they were already thinking of you :) Cool! I love walnuts :) I wish you luck sprouting them and nursing them up into trees.
I’ll be posting it all here when I do get them started. Good luck to you as well!