Cornelian cherry dogwoods from seeds, proper stratification times

12 years ago

I received 20 seeds of Cornelian cherry as part of a seed order from Fragrant Path Seeds this fall, and the instructions stated I should provide warm stratification for several months followed by cold stratification for another several months. So far, they've been planted in moist seed-starter mix in a plastic container since early Nov. and kept in the house at 70F. I was planning on moving these out to the garage in Jan. where the temp. should stay between 2o-40F until spring.

If anyone else has grown Cornelian cherry from seed before, can you comment and let me know how this sounds? I'm thinking that next year, when I collect my own seed from a few local specimen Cornelian cherries I've located, I'm just going to direct-seed them into the garden instead.

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Comments (3)

art33
12 years ago
Nick,
I've never grown Cornelian cherry but here's some info from Bernheim Arboretum and Research ( http://www.bernheim.org/cornus_mas.html ) that might be helpful. Sounds to me like you're doing everything right.

"Cornelian cherry dogwood can be propagated by seed and softwood cuttings. Seed require a warm moist stratification for up to 120 followed by 90 to 120 days of cold. Softwood cuttings can be taken in June and July."

Art
gardenweed_z6a
12 years ago
I winter sowed both kousa dogwood and regular white-flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) two years ago and got 100% germination from the seeds. Trees grew about 14 inches per year. Last year I winter sowed apple & pear tree seeds and again had 100% germinate. This year I've sowed Acer palmatum/Japanese red maple, Cornus sericea/red-twig dogwood & apple. Germination should occur sometime around the middle of April based on last year's results.

Winter sowing is a USDA-approved method of growing annuals, perennials, vegetables, trees, shrubs, etc. in recycled containers set outside in winter. There is a winter sowing forum here on GardenWeb.
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Yup, I've got a couple of mature ones and a couple more on the way. The fruit ripens here in early to mid August. It's about the size of a small tart cherry, but is more of a football or teardrop shape than round. It has a single, small pit in the middle, which is it's only drawback -- tedious to pit them. The flavor is excellent cooked, IMO -- it tastes like a mix of tart cherry and cranberry. It makes a wonderful cranberry type sauce if cooked the same way. It also makes a very nice jam, syrup, or preserves. I also like to put them in with apples to make pie or crisp. They also can be dried into a product that is virtually indistinguishable in flavor from the "Craisins" sold in the grocery store, although mine are not as soft, since the commercial ones are treated with something (I think vegetable oil and glycerine) to keep them soft. The bush is hardy, attractive, and easy to grow. It is one of the very first things to bloom, actually before the forsythia blooms by a few days. The foliage is somewhat glossy, and it does get a little bit of fall color, although not the most brilliant fall show by any means. The flower buds that form in the late summer add interest in the winter. Mine are too astringent to eat raw unless they are dead ripe and very soft. Birds don't seem to eat them. I think that there may be some named clones that have fruit that is more palatable out of hand. Mine are just from seed -- I started with one, and the rest are it's progeny. I think this is another fruit with a lot of potential. The only down side is the somewhat tedious pit. The method I found to do this easily is to pick over and wash the fruit, then put it in a large kettle with just a little bit of water, and boil/steam for about 10 minutes. This makes the fruit mushy-soft. I then put the fruit into a colander with small holes, and mush the pulp through the holes with the back of a spoon, leaving the pits behind. This yields a pretty large volume of bright burgundy-red pulp and a relatively small volume of pit -- at least they're not virtually all pit or seed like some wild types of true Prunus cherries.
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I think a Redbud would be a good choice. They are tough trees and have the advantage over crabs of not dropping fruit. The suggestions of Honey Locust or Kentucky Coffee Trees for shade are also good. I prefer the Kentucky Coffee tree over the Honey Locust simply because the locust is so commonly planted. If you go for a locust, there is a variety called Shade Master that gets good size in a reasonable time and gives good shade. For evergreens, for something a little different, consider White Fir, Incense Cedar or Western Red Cedar. The Osage Orange has been mentioned in this thread. I would whole heartedly second that nomination. This is good looking tree that is tough as nails. You would probably have to start it from seed as few nurseries handle them. Or you may be able to find seedlings online. Seeds are readily available online. It is used as a windbreak tree on the high plains so it can handle wind and some drought. It has a taproot going down 20 feet sometimes. Another flowering tree that is worth considering is the Yellowwood. It blooms in late spring so the flowers are not usually hit by frost. They have the grey bark of a Beech and leaves that look like Walnut. Again, you would most likely have to get them online.
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railroadrabbit
12 years ago
I have sown white-flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) directly into the ground and lost all to chipmunks and squirrels (rats with bushy tails). The few that sprouted were eaten immediately after sprouting in the spring.

This year I have winter sown into milk jugs and hope for better results. See Winter Sowing Forum:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/wtrsow/
and the winter sowing FAQ:
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/wtrsow/

I previously stratified, but the instructions I read said nothing about warm stratification. I pulled off all of the pulp from the berries and soaked the seed in warm water for about 4 hours. Mix some warm water with some sifted sphagnum peat. (Shaking the peat and water in a jar is a quick way to moisten the peat. All excess moisture should be squeezed out of the peat. Too much water will rot the seed.) Mix the seed with the damp peat. I put the seed/peat mixture in a zip lock bag. (Punch a few air holes in the bag.) Place bag in refrigerator for 100 days. Check occasionally to be sure the peat is still moist.

A few of the seeds were already sprouting after 100 days. I planted the seeds/seedlings in an outside transplanting area. The squirrels and chipmunks soon ate those, also.

I may try to winter sow these directly into the ground, and put a quarter-inch-hardware-mesh wire cage over the top. (Something similar to a bottomless bird cage.) A few bricks on top to keep the critters from pushing/pulling it off will hopefully aid in survival of the seedlings.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/wtrsow/

Cornelian cherry dogwoods from seeds, proper stratification times

Comments (3)

art33

gardenweed_z6a

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