Common Treatment Processes

Cold-Moist Stratification

Seeds are mixed with damp (not wet) builder's sand, vermiculite, or old sawdust for several months during winter

Warm-Moist Stratification

Seeds are mixed with damp medium and stored for several months at temperatures between 68-75 degrees 

Cold-Dry Stratification

Dried seed is placed in plastic or paper bags and then refrigerated at 34-40 degrees F or just placed in an unheated, insect and rodent-free building over winter

Scarification

The seed coats are physically broken, using sandpaper, allowing the embryo to imbibe water

Inoculation

Applying a nitrogen-fixing bacteria to wet seed just prior to sowing

Providing hosts for parasitic species

Sowing seed along with the seed of a host species or transplant seedlings into pots containing host species

Light Treatment

Seed is sown on top of a smooth, firm sedbed and kept moist until germination occurs