I tried last winter and not one germinated. The seeds were a royal pain removing as well. I can only tell you what Dirr says:

"Fall plant or provide 2 to 3 months cold stratification."
(Dirr, Heuser jr. 'The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation - From Seed to Tissue Culture' pps. 219)

You need to have the seeds extracted and cleaned. They're very small about the size of 1/2 mm around or there. You'll need damp not wet sand and into the refridgerator they go for 3 months. Or, you can simply sow them outdoors now in pots/flats and let mother nature take over, which is your easiest bet. As to planting depth, you'll need to search that. Schumaker Seeds probably supplies that information or will Sheffield's Seed.

Good luck!

Dax

It also helps to have them pass through the digestive tract of a bird. I have J. scopulorum seedlings throughout my yard. Not sure how to emulate that. Scarification maybe?

tj

Thanks Dax and TJ. I did open one cone with small pliers and it opened easily. There were 3 small seeds inside. I haven't done any more than that.

I'll probably take a few cones and open them up and extract the seeds. I have a small container filled with sand and pine bark out in my backyard that I can place the seeds in. Hopefully that will be enough time for stratification.

I'm wondering whether scarification might be necessary. I've never had to do that for pine, spruce and fir seeds but maybe juniper seeds need a bit of scarification to assist germination?

Thanks.

Dave

Or you could come down and dig up seedlings out of my yard. :) I probably get five or 10 of the little buggers every year.

I knew this sounded familiar. Here's a recent thread.

tj

Here is a link that might be useful: J. Germ.

Go buy a bird says the thread! Otherwise scuff with sandpaper/scarification and wait (possibly) a long time (maybe over a year).

Dax

Thanks for the thread link. Sounds like most junipers are difficult to grow from seed without a bird(!) or waiting about 2 or 3 years for germination.

I'll open up some cones this week and give the seeds a bit of sandpaper scarification and see what happens in the spring. The cones are fairly soft so they are easy to open.

They grow wild in empty fields in this area so the birds must be responsible for much of the juniper population. Must be nurseries grow most junipers via cuttings rather than from seed.

Thanks everyone!

Dave

Just an idea...are those seeds edible for humans? T.

I was unaware that the seeds were so finiky. I planted some last year and most all came up. The seeds did sit in a draw for three years, so maybe they are time/ digestive chemically driven. I imagine scarification would help.

"...Just an idea...are those seeds edible for humans?.."

Junipers can be tricky. Even this website gives conflicting info. One part says all parts can be toxic and another gives edible uses.

tj

Here is a link that might be useful: J. virg

Tunilla...did TJ miss the point...eat them yourself for scarification rather than feeding them to a bird?

Missed that, sorry Ã

tj

Well,unless you have a trained bird,or one in captivity...
I have seen tomato plants sprout behind trees at some resting area on the highway...and they were not in jiffy-pots! T.

Remembering my automobile travels through France years ago, those tomato plant seeds may not have been deposited by birds either - especially if they were near guarded train crossings out in the countryside ;)

Thanks for the replies everyone! Lots of great knowledge on this list for sure!

Update: I read on several websites that many juniper seeds require both warm and cold stratification for germination. Last night I opened the cones with pliers, removed the seeds (usually 2 or 3 seeds per cone) and roughed them up them with a fingernail file. I then soaked the seeds overnight in warm water. This morning I placed the seeds in a damp (not soaking wet) paper towel inside a plastic bag and will keep them stored at room temp for the next few weeks. Around February 15, I will take them out of warm stratification and place them in containers outside for some cold stratification.

Hopefully some of the seeds will germinate. If not, no big deal since this is really an experiment more than anything else.

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback and suggestions! And no, I do not plan to eat any of the seeds to assist in scarification lol...

Thanks everyone.

Dave

BTW, while researching this I found a web page containing stratification info for various conifers, including junipers.

Hope this helps others with similar interests.

Thanks!

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: conifer stratification

I once knew a guy that had an apple seed sprout in his intestines. Surgery got it out.

Talking about growing your own...

Bottom line...be careful what you eat. It could grow on you...

Dave

That's wonderful and horrifying to know!

Josh

Has me rethinking the eating of apple seeds
Marshall

Thanks to everyone who responded. I'll keep the list posted on whether any of these seeds germinate. They are in warm stratification now.

Sounds like many junipers are difficult to grow from seed, mainly due to thick seed coats, warm/cold stratification requirements and dormancy in the seeds themselves.

There is an empty field (privately owned) nearby my home with many hundreds of junipers growing on it. Not sure exactly what kind of juniper, but they are all bronzed by winter weather. All are five feet tall or smaller, so most of these plants must have started as seeds dropped by birds.

Thanks again everyone.

Dave