I'm cold stratifying sugar maple seeds. But since the germination rates are fairly low, I'm cold stratifying them in the freezer so that it would be more similar to canadian cold winter temperatures. Will the seeds sprout when They're taken out of the freezer, just like they do when they're stratified in the Refrigerator?
1
-
The "cold Canadian winter" is preceded by Fall and followed by Spring, so some refrigerator time might be advisable.– EcnerwalCommented May 26, 2022 at 12:28
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
Seeds can be dry stratified (kept in dry conditions in a freezer) or moist stratified. Moist stratification needs fridge temperatures and, as the name suggests, moisture. The source below recommends moist stratification for sugar maple, suggesting that time in a freezer would not help.
Is there some reason you're starting from seed?
If you have access to sugar maples, You get a tremendous head start, a couple years or more, by using cuttings!
Cuttings also have a much better yield than seeds. With care, you can get near 100% yield.
This site recommends taking greenwood cuttings in the spring, and you'll have a 20cm tree in a few weeks!
Because they are quick, easy, and reliable, all commercial nurseries propagate deciduous trees primarily through cuttings. (Coniferous trees are more challenging.)
If you're planning a forest, a possible downside is that you'll be creating clones, and your forest may have reduced resistance to certain diseases and pests, whereas a seeded forest will have more genetic diversity.
Personally, I'd need a pretty good reason to choose seeds over cuttings for most trees.
