Re: [nafex] Stratified Apple Seed

["victoria l. caron" <vicaron@gis.net>]

Tom,
Seeing as I have done this quite a few times, I hope this helps you. 
Did you stratify your seeds in water? I usually keep my seeds in small,
labeled jars of water in the frig until early spring when some start to
sprout. I then plant both the sprouted and unsprouted seeds in 606's. These
are the largest 6 packs for flats. I also use a brand that are 'deep well'
which are available from Park's. The packs are placed in leak proof trays
if kept in the house or any other type if they are allowed to drain as
in a greenhouse.
My planting medium of choice is Peter's Mix which is more easily
wet than Pro-Mix. I keep plastic wrap over the tray until the sprouts are
up, just to avoid the need to water often. Also, the leak proof tray makes
bottom watering and feeding easier.
Different varieties do not seem to germinate at the same time. The
Macoun seeds I saved last year never started to sprout in the frig, only
later when planted in the garden. I don't know yet the reason for this
because there are so many possibilities like stage of ripeness when picked,
ripening season, and temperature/storage time before stratification which
could make a difference. I did notice that the Macouns that germinated
in the garden did not get off to a good vigorous start. They only managed
to achieve 5-6 inches all summer despite constant attention.
When they are about 5-6 inches tall or the danger of frost is past,
I plant the young trees in the garden about 12 to 18 inches apart and give
them a code number to record growth, vigor, color (leaves, wood, etc.),
survival, seeming resistances, whatever you want to keep track of if you
want to eliminate some things.

Thomas Olenio wrote:

Hello,

As an experiment and to create some standard rootstock I stratified some
Idared spple seed lest fall in the refrigerator.  The seeds are now
begining to show white specks at the tips.

My question is; what is the next step?  Should I plant them in a flat, or
individual pots, and should I use soil or seed starter mix?

Thanks,
Tom

--
Thomas Olenio
Ontario, Hardiness Zone 6a

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