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Stratifying conifer seeds...Mold!

9 years ago

Someone on this site suggested that I stratify seeds by placing them in a damp coffee filter in a ziploc bag and then putting them in the fridge for 30 days. I did that and today I went to take my seeds out but they were moldy! First of all, is there any way to save them by cleaning them? Second, anyone have any tips for preventing this?

Thank you!

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Comments (8)

Embothrium
9 years ago
Open some up to see if the contents have gone bad - maybe they are fine.
Smivies (Ontario - 5b)
9 years ago
I've always used moistened horticultural vermiculite in Glad Mini Round containers. Never had mould with my conifer seeds.
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It varied from species to species. Generally, I'll use Dirr's Manual of Woody Landscape plants for the more common species. For rarer species, I've either found information from the seed supplier (if bought) or looked for multiple references online (if gathered or unsure). The trick is to try and find the same advice for stratification listed from multiple sources to get any confidence in whether the advice is good or not. I start all my seeds off by a 24 hour soak in regular water. My last batches, I've added a small amount of Captan powder (maybe 1/16 tsp in a small tupperware container of water) to try to limit fungal growth. It hasn't seemed to have a negative effect on germination rates, and I've not had too big of problems with damping off. Next, I've mainly stuck to the paper towel method of germination/stratify. After 24 hours of the seeds soaking, I get a paper towel, wet it thoroughly and wring the excess out, put the seeds in as close as a single layer as possible, then fold up the paper and put it in a plastic zip baggie with the name and date on it. These go straight into the fridge for whatever stratification time needed (30-90 days usually). When the stratification time is over, I pull them out and just leave them somewhere in the house I won't forget about them and they won't get in full sun (that bakes the baggie). Check after 2-3 days, and then every so often for signs of germination. For seeds that don't need stratifying, the seeds go into the paper towel baggies, then immediately just left out in the house. Note: I generally stagger the soaking of the seeds according to stratification length, so I do the 90 day stratifiers a month before the 60 day, two months before the 30 day, etc. This way, I can deal with them all germinating together and during the right time of spring. So after I see germination, I move them to growing flats. I generally just get the big flats and fill it with sterile seed germinating potting mix. I find these easier to work with than the individual cells, because they don't dry out as fast and you aren't wasting 40-80% of your cells on seeds that never come up. Plant the little germinating seeds very shallow (for most conifers, at least), and keep things damp. They're in morning sun and afternoon shade now. A little leggier than I'd want, but I'd rather not scorch them with too much sun at a young age. I let them grow to about 3-5 inches before transplanting them to larger pots or a growing bed. Enough time to get decent roots on them.
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Yep, I have Saran Wrap over my seedling tray too, some of the bigger ones I moved to starbucks cups with the cap on to keep the humidity high until I can get them outside, others I put into my grafting chamber. You can grow conifers indoors for quite a long time as long as you keep the humidity high, most houses can't achieve that, so you need some way of containing that moisture. I purchased a good size windmill palm (trachycarpus fortunei) a few years ago on a whim... didn't really have a plan for it, figured I would test it's limits and move to the garage when temps dropped into the 20's... These palms are pretty hardy, so it only has to be in the garage for about 3 months, then it goes back outside... I have it in a pot, sunk in the ground... lots of double takes when people walk by...haha... kind of fun... So I decided to purchase some bulgarian windmill palm seed, which are even hardier... I know they wouldn't survive here unprotected, but just looking for a palm I can keep outside as long as possible... maybe 10 out of 12 months of the year on these ones. As far as the forum members... I got interested in conifers around 2010 and there were lots of active experts, but many have moved on to other hobbies or only do facebook now... It's too bad, because facebook is mostly just pictures, very few interesting discussions, "How-to's", ect... This place was a treasure trove of info you couldn't find anywhere else, the old info is still out there, but not as much in depth discussions about grafting, growing from seed, broom hunting, and rooting... but it's nice to see there is some new members on here not just collecting, but actively propagating too!
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coachjohnsonlp
9 years ago
I have stratified over 1000 seeds over the last two years. I have just used damp paper towels with a little damp sand in a zip lock bag. I have found that some seeds are more likely to get moldy than others and some of the mold can be prevented by a thorough cleaning before the stratification process. Maple, some pines and some fir seeds seem more prone to mold from my experience which is limited in time but high in volume.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
????

isnt it just part of the process of mother natures degradation of the seed hull ???

i dont know.. i am asking????

just plant the things ... in sterile media ... see link

i also wonder why you are doing this indoors in WA?? ... washington i presume

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
mikebotann
9 years ago
What kind of seeds?
I stratify outdoor plants outdoors. Sprinkle on a flat or raised bed and lightly cover with soil or light mulch......and walk away. Spring comes and up come the plants.
I've done this with a lot of different trees and shrubs including rhododendrons and azaleas.
My wife seems to be in charge of the refrigerator. ;-)
Usually when done indoors, mold is not a problem unless it's the dreaded 'damping off' when the seedlings are grown indoors.
. It's warm now. I'd go ahead and plant them outside. No damping off outside when they come up in late Feb. or March.
Mike...with Tulips coming up.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
i never thought of damping off as a mold issue ..

but a quick wiki review suggests the causes are mostly fungii .. but there is a mold ... so much for my in depth scientific analysis ... lol ...

but then again.. i suspect OP is guessing that the white stringy stuff is mold ... just an observation on his part.. rather than a sure diagnosis ... of mold vs fungus ...

ken
spartacus83
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you for all the helpful suggestions! I actually did end up planting a few outside. The others I was just able to clean and they looked fine. As for the type of seeds I have Alpine Fir, Mt. Hemlock, Atlas Cedar, Stone Pine and Spanish Fir.

As for why I am starting some indoors. Last year I started some in January and it was nice to have little seedlings sitting on my window during the later winter months. I actually already have 1 Stone Pine sprout and it's growing well in my south facing window.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
i am glad you tried/use a variety of methods .. i get so frustrated across all the forums by peeps who dump all the seed into one version.. then fail.. and have no seed left ...

let us know how it all works out.. indoors .. and out ..

ken

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