Many tree seeds have hard seed coats which are impermeable to water and air, or which prevent the emergence of seed parts. Simple treatment is required to:
Treatment may be done in several ways:
Soak seeds in tap water for 12–48 hours (depending on how hard the seed coat is) before planting.
If seeds do not absorb water, another treatment must be used (Seeds which have absorbed water will swell.) (Figure 26).
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| Figure 27 Hot water treatment. | |
| Figure 26 Tap water treatment. |
Pour hot water (boiled, and then cooled for about 5–10 minutes to 80 °C) into a container with seeds. (Use 10 parts of water to 1 part of seed.)
Let stand for 3–10 minutes or until water cools off.
If seeds have not swelled, leave to soak overnight (Figure 27).
Nick off seed coat with a knife or nail clipper, or rub with sand paper, file or any rough material, taking care not to injure the internal portion, especially the radical (root end).
This technique is practical for small seed lots (Figure 28).
Figure 28 Scarification points by seed shape.
Seed treatment for some species is described in Appendix II.
Now you know all that is required to be an expert tree seed collector.
We hope that you can use this expertise to help enrich your life, and your environment!
