Certain seeds will not germinate until they have been subjected for some weeks or even months to low temperatures and humid conditions similar to those which occur in nature after they drop from the parent plant and are covered with fallen leaves and other forest debris.
To simulate this natural winter environment, gardeners employ a technique called stratification. A usual method is to fill a wooden box with alternate layers of seeds and moist sand, or sand and peat moss and then to bury the box 6 in. deep in a well-drained, shaded location outdoors.
Fleshy fruits-such as those of holly, cotoneaster and hawthornâ€â€are stratified without removing the pulp that surrounds the fruit they contain. As a precaution against mice and other rodents, it is wise to enclose the box in fine wire mesh. When very small seeds are being stratified they may be spread between layers of cheese-cloth before they are buried in the sand, to make finding them at a later date easier.
An alternative method is to stratify seeds by " mixing them with slightly moist sand, or a mixture of sand and peat moss, and keep the mixture in closed - but not completely airtight - jars in a refrigerator. Temperatures of 1 to 4.5 C. are satisfactory for most seeds requiring stratification.
Most seeds stratified in autumn will germinate the following spring, but some kinds - for example hollies - do not germinate until the second spring after they are stratified. When the time for germination arrives, the seeds should be separated from the sand or sand and peat moss by sifting or by hand picking. They should be sown in pots, pans, boxes, cold frames or directly outdoors. |
|
 |
Testing your soil -
Soil-testing kits available and by and large they do a very good job of accurately testing your soil. , for Groundcovers However, if you are only interested in knowing if your soil , Bonsai Care is acid or otherwise, without worrying about degrees of acidity or alkalinity, here is a simp...
Noxious Weeds of Australia -
SIAM WEED - (Chromolaena odorata) Considered to be one of the world's worst weeds. , Growing Palms from Date Stones This weed, , Seed Stratification first found in Australia in 1994, has the potential to cause major damage to coastal ecosystems. It has a spreading habit similar to Lantana, but is more aggress...
How to Prune Bonsai Roots -
Root pruning , Costing a Job is really quite a simple task. Just unpot your plant , Growing Parsley and comb out the roots , Soil Substitutes for Sowing Seed in a radial pattern. The root , Bamboo Flooring hook is a great tool , Building & Renovations for this. It will untangle and straighten roots , Bonsai Planting generally with...
How to Make Compost -
For a good compost , How To Save Water heap, the layers of refuse should be 6 to 8 in. thick and should be trodden down moderately firmly. If the material is very dry, water , Cleaning House Plants may be added before the activator is applied. If you have to use very tough material such as cabbage...
Leaf Eating Ladybird -
Both the adults and larvae of the leaf-eating ladybird (Epilachna 28-punctata) feed upon leaf-surfaces, producing a lace-like pattern, and the infested leaves eventually become skeletonised and withered. The ladybirds attack the foliage of cucumbers, marr...
Miniature Roses -
Miniature roses , How to Lay Lawn Sods range from 8 to 20 in. high. The tiny individual blooms are often replicas of hybrid teas. The foliage is also proportionately smaller. They are excellent for edgings of beds of floribundas or hybrid teas, as well as for window , Growing Herbs boxes or ro...
What Plants to Plant, and Where? -
Use tall-growing specimens sparingly unless they have a slender growth , Cactus Propagation form, or unless you are anxious to blot out some unsightly view. Place , Light Requirements for Home Gardens tall-growing trees , Medicinal Tea - Chamomile away from the house , Caring for Newly Sown Lawn and remember these are the ones which, if evergreens, cast long shadows in...
Push Lawn Sweepers -
Push lawn , Prevailing Winds And Planting sweepers are lightweight which means that anyone can use one. Push lawn , Potting Cactus sweepers also brush up the turf as they go along, and so they leave the grass , Prinicples of a Japanese Garden standing nice and tall. This makes mowing a breeze too - giving you better esults than if the g...
Fruit Fly -
The Queensland fruit , Hydroponic Systems - Aggregate Culture fly (Dacus [StrumetaJ tryoni) is the common pest , Link Footer species in the coastal areas and in certain other districts of this State and mainly infests summer , Growing Cacti and Succulents fruits, particularly the later varieties. Citrus fruits, , Sowing Seeds in Pots except grapefruit, are not g...
|
|
|
mygarden.net.au - - - Site by Weblife |
|
|
