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I have seeds that generally need to be stratified (cold) before planting them. (Plum, apricot, cherry, peach).

I didn't really care too much if they germinate, I just threw them in the soil as an experiment.

I did this over the last few weeks (I'm in Australia so it is summer at the moment). Will my seeds stratify over the winter then sprout in the spring? Or will it fail due to how early I planted it?

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  • How cold does it get where you live?
    – Johannes_B
    Jan 11, 2021 at 10:54
  • @Johannes_B In winter it averages between 6.5 - 14.5 C (~ 44-58 F). It can very occasionally get as low as 3 degrees Celsius (37 F).
    – Simplex1
    Jan 11, 2021 at 11:54
  • @Simplex1 That may not be cold enough. The rule of thumb is continuously below 3C for a period that depends on the seeds but is typically 4 to 12 weeks.
    – alephzero
    Jan 11, 2021 at 17:28
  • The planting time isn't important, so long as the seeds don't get eaten or rot. In the wild, of course they just fall off the tree when they are ripe and stay on or in the ground till winter.
    – alephzero
    Jan 11, 2021 at 17:30
  • Not cold enough. In rural Victoria and parts of Melbourne, peach and plum seeds will germinate outside as it gets cold enough. Jan 11, 2021 at 21:22

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Yes, they will. In fact plant seeds that need stratification won't germinate at all before being stratified (regardless of whether they've been planted in the summer or autumn). Mind you that all the fruit trees you've mentioned (stone fruits) usually require grafting as the seeds won't produce a plant with exactly the same properties as the original tree.

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  • Wait, is the 'yes' referring to it stratifying in the winter, or it failing?
    – Simplex1
    Jan 12, 2021 at 9:27
  • @Simplex1 Well the question you've asked in the title (and the first question you've asked in the body) was "Will my seeds stratify if I sowed them in summer?". To that the answer is yes.
    – CoolKoon
    Jan 12, 2021 at 13:23

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