Birth Tree Seeds Planting Instructions

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Birth Tree Card Front - Rowen Tree

The Rowan Tree

January 22 – February 17

Go to bottom of page for definition of terms as well as other items of note.

Scarification:
Soak in water, let stand in water for 24 hours.

Stratification:
Cold stratify for 150 days. Warm stratify for 120 days.

Germination:
Sow seed 1/16″ deep, tamp the soil, lightly mulch the seed bed, keep moist.

Birth Tree Card Front - Ash Tree

The Ash Tree

February 18 – March 17

Scarification:
Soak in water and let stand in water for 12 hours.

Stratification:

Cold stratify for 90 days or warm stratify for 30 days.

Germination:
Sow seed 3/8″ deep, tamp the soil, keep moist, and mulch the seed bed.

Birth Tree Card Front - Alder Tree

The Alder Tree

March 18 – April 14

Scarification:
None required.

Stratification:
Cold stratify for 60-90 days.

Germination:
Sow seed 1/8″ deep, tamp the soil, lightly mulch the seed bed.

Birth Tree Card Front Image - Willow Tree

The Willow Tree

April 15 – May 12

Scarification:
Soak in water and let stand in water for 24 hours.

Stratification:
Store in wet sand for several days.

Germination:
Best to sow in spring. Sow seed 1/4″ deep, mulch the seed bed, keep moist.

Birth Tree Card Front - Hawthorn Tree

The Hawthorn Tree

May 13 – June 9

Scarification:
Soak in water and let stand in water for 24 hours.

Stratification:
Cold stratify for 120 days.

Germination:
Best to sow in fall. Sow seed 1/4″ deep, mulch the seed bed, keep moist.

Birth Tree Card Front - Oak Tree

The Oak Tree

June 10 – July 7

Scarification:
Soak in water and let stand in water for 24 hours.

Stratification:
None required.

Germination:
Sow seed 1/4″ deep, tamp the soil, mulch the seed bed, keep moist.

Birth Tree Card Front - Holly Tree

The Holly Tree

July 8 – August 4

Scarification:
Soak in water and let stand in water for 24 hours.

Stratification:
Cold stratify for 60 days or warm stratify for 60 days.

Germination:
Sow seed 3/8″ deep, tamp the soil, mulch the seed bed, keep moist.
Other: seedlings need shade for their first year , sporadic germination will occur over a 2-3 year period.

Birth Tree Card Front - Hazel Tree

The Hazel Tree

August 5 – September 1

Scarification:
Soak in water and let stand in water for 24 hours.

Stratification:
Cold stratify for 120 days or warm stratify for 90 days.

Germination:
Sow seed 1/4″ deep, tamp the soil, mulch the seed bed, keep moist.

Birth Tree Card Front - Vine

The Vine

September 2 – September 29

Scarification:
Soak in water and let stand in water for 24 hours.

Stratification:
Cold stratify for 60 days.

Germination:
Sow seed 1/4″ deep, tamp the soil, mulch the seed bed, keep moist.

Birth Tree Card Front - Ivy

The Ivy

September 30 – October 27

Scarification:
Soak in water and let stand in water for 24 hours.

Stratification:
Cold stratify for 60 days.

Germination:
Sow seed 3/8″ deep, tamp the soil, mulch the seed bed, keep moist.

Birth Tree Card Front - Reed

The Reed

October 28 – November 24

Scarification:
Soak in water and let stand in water for 24 hours.

Stratification:
Cold stratify for 30 days.

Germination:
Sow seed 3/8″ deep, tamp the soil, mulch the seed bed, keep moist.
Note: Germination tends to be slow, but occurs faster in warmer temperatures.

Since a personality trait of the Reed is a strong sense of truth, the truth is the reed seeds are the most difficult to work with of all the birth tree seeds. They are quite small and tend to cling to the plastic envelope. You might have to cut open the bag to get the seeds out, and don’t hesitate to use your dry fingers to move them about. Patience is certainly a virtue in this case!

Birth Tree Card Front - Elder Tree

The Elder Tree

November 25 – December 23

Scarification:
Soak in hot tap water, let stand in water for 24 hours.

Stratification:
Cold stratify for 150 days or warm stratify for 60 days.

Germination:
Sow seed 1/4″ deep, tamp the soil, mulch the seed bed, keep moist.

Birth Tree Card Front - Birch Tree

The Birch Tree

December 24 – January 21

Scarification:
Soak in water and let stand in water for 24 hours.

Stratification:
Cold stratify for 60 days.

Germination:
Sow just below soil surface and keep moist.
Note: Requires light for germination. Can be sown in the fall without stratification.

Definition of Terms

Remember to keep seeds in a refrigerator until ready to start growing. Seeds have a water permeable coating that protects them. They can be stored in a refrigerator for a long time because of this coating. The cold temperature basically simulates the winter dormancy period. But when you are ready to start the growing process …

Scarification
Simple: start breaking down the seed coating so that water can get inside and the seed will start the growing process.

In depth: Many of the birth tree seeds have hard seed coats that allow them to sit in the ground for many years waiting for the proper conditions to come along for germination. This adaptation is particularly true for species that come from dry environments. These seeds will not germinate until the water can penetrate the seed coat. To facilitate this, the seed coat needs to be softened, and the seed coating broken down, to allow water inside. A cold water soak means to place the seed in a bowl of water and place in the refrigerator for the noted period of time. Whenever mention is made of soaking in hot water, it means to initially subject the seed to the hot water and then to let it cool in that water at room temperature for the noted period of time. DO NOT keep the water hot for 24 hours.

At this point, take the seeds out of the water and place in a zip-lock bag along with a damp paper towel to start the stratification process.

Stratification

Simple: starting the sprouting process to get the seed ready to plant in the ground.

In depth:

Cold Stratification: Many seeds mature on the plant in the Fall. If they were to germinate at that time the cold winter would kill them. Nature has given them a built-in protection against this by requiring that they go through a period of cold temperature prior to germination. This requirement can be met in two ways:

-If you live in a northern climate and you are confident that the outdoor temperature will be below 40 degrees Fahrenheit for the 30, 60 or 90 days that the seed requires for cold stratification, then the seed can be sown in seedbeds outside in the fall, mulched heavily to prevent soil heaving and then remove most of the mulch in the Spring to allow the seed to germinate.

-The other way is to artificially condition the seeds by wrapping them in a moist paper towel and putting in a zip-lock bag. Place the seed bag in the refrigerator for the required time prior to sowing (planting). The trickiest part of this is getting the moisture right. You need the paper towel to be moist but not wet. If you can ring water out of it then it is too wet.

Warm Stratification: This can be accomplished by following the cold stratification directions above, except placing the moist seed at warm room temperature for the required period of time.

In General: Seeds generally require at least a month following stratification to germinate.

Germination

Once the seeds have gone through the scarification and stratification processes, they are ready to be planted and start to germinate and grow by following the instructions. In order to get the best germination results, if possible use a sterile soil mix, which you can buy at a local gardening store. This will help make sure the soil does not have any funguses in it which can be a problem for newly germinating seeds. You want to keep the soil moist but do not overwater. Have fun and happy growing:)

Odds and Ends

  • Seeds are for planting and not to be eaten.
  • When working with the dry seeds, handle with care and work in an area free of wind and be careful not to sneeze:)
  • There are a number of varieties of each type of birth tree and the one that you grow might not look exactly like that pictured on your card.
  • The seed packs will not be full but contain a small number of seeds, enough for you to grow a tree.
  • For most birth tree seeds, you will want to plant the seeds in late spring or during the fall. Make sure to work backwards so that the time needed for the stratification process takes you to the germination process at the right time of the year for planting. Your birth tree seeds can be refrigerated for long periods of time before starting.
  • While following the planting instructions should yield favorable results, germination and growth of the tree is not guaranteed.
  • Don’t be concerned if you see organic material other than seeds in the bag. The seeds are collected in nature and might contain some twigs, small amounts of dirt, or other organic material. To the best of our knowledge, the birth tree seeds are not genetically modified and are GMO-free.