Experiences that Diverge from Previous Belief

[George Collins]

I have done much research over the recent past in preparation for the upcoming planting season. As many here know, plans are being laid to plant a Hog Food Forest. Towards that end, pecans, hickories and walnuts are on the short list of those trees being considered. As the scope of this project may one day include 200+ acres, the first ten-acre plot is being used to trial many different trees to make as many mistakes as possible now before attempting to tackle the really big stuff.

During research for starting pecans, hickories and walnuts from seed, a common refrain is cold stratification. For example:



Both of these sites plainly state that hickories and pecans must receive a period of cold stratification.

This year I am also trialing acorn fed pork. Towards that end, I asked an aunt of mine who has several hickory trees in her yard who has to pick the hickory nuts up to keep from damaging her lawn mower, to save every nut for me. She did by placing them in a black plastic trash bag and bringing them to me. This is what I found upon opening the bag:


I don't know about y'all, but that sure looks like a germinated nut to me. What's more, about 20% of the nuts so stored had germinated.

Earlier today, the youngest four kids and I went to pick up some pecans for Youngblood. After giving the tree a good shaking which dislodged many still encapsulated in their green husks, we all went quadruped. While crawling around I happened upon a pecan that still had half of the green husk attached. I quickly rubbed off the remaining husk and to my eternal surprise found that it had germinated!

That one precocious little pecan now resides in a tall, 3-gallon pot on the carport along side it's new little chinquapin neighbors.

I would have been less surprised by looking out my back door and seeing a black bear. I would have bet a large sum of money that what I've seen would have been impossible.

Anyone have any experiences that might shed light on these observations?

(BTW, this year we have picked up many acorns (like a few wheel barrows full) of several different types of oaks and placed them into many different types of containers. Of those that have been kept in trash bags, germination rates have been impressive.)

[pa_friendly_guy]

You may have discovered something here George. The one reference site that you posted talked about storing the seeds in a plastic bag in the ref. Apparently the plastic bag is a good way to make seeds germinate. I do not know why this has such a positive effect on the seeds, but it apparently does. Maybe it is the lack of air flow? Maybe the seeds emit a gas of some sort that helps germination naturally and the gas can not escape from the plastic bag? Maybe seeds just like a dark place to germinate? What ever the reason I would not knock success. Keep using the plastic bags and see what germination rate you get compaired to the other ways you have used to germinate seeds. I used a similar system to what you had used to try and germinate walnut seeds this fall. I have them outside in a 5 gal bucket right now. The one thing that you did that I did not do was remove the green husk. I figured that when they fell from the tree and nature planted them the husk would be on. I am hopeing that as the husk rots if makes a perfect place for the seed to germinate. I will know in the spring if that is true or not. Since I am not planing on planting acers and acres of walnuts it is not as important to me to have all the seeds grow, and it was alot less work to let the husks on the nut. I always try to go with the no work theroy of gardening.

[Lollykoko]

I would speculate that the humidity created by being enclosed in that black plastic bag probably helped with the germination. How many days were they enclosed, George?

[George Collins]

[pa_friendly_guy]

I am glad to hear that it should not make any difference in the rate of germination. It certainly was alot less work, and alot less mess , my hands are not stained, and we have no lack of cold this far north. Turns out we have that in abundance for the next 4 or 5 months. If I send you down some cold will you send me up some warm?? I think it would be a fair trade,