Ken’s Trees

The Trident Maple seeds soaked overnight for 24 hours for the scarification step. During the scarification process the seeds that are viable for germination will sink to the bottom of the water, while the ones that float will most likely not germinate. Although I have not completely discarded the floating seeds, I did separate them so that I can plant all of seeds with the best chance of germinate first, and with any remaining space I can try the floaters. Now the seeds are ready for the next step, stratification.

What we are trying to do with stratification is to simulate the natural conditions that the seeds would experience in nature. In this case we are focused on the cold temperature of winter. The seeds are surrounded with a rung out paper towel (just barely damp), and placed within a clear resealable bag. Some people recommend using other mediums such as vermiculite in place of the paper towel, but I am trying to keep things simple. Once the seeds are sealed within the bag, it is placed in a refrigerator for 90 days. Thanks to the leap day this year, there are exactly 90 days from today February 17th until May 17th, in case I forget I marked the outside of the bag with both dates. The seeds should be periodically checked for mold or rotting at least every month, I will probably check weekly or biweekly. In three months Ken’s Trees will be growing with not only these Trident Maple trees, but also the European Olive that I planted the other day.