Q. I harvested some Texas Mountain Laura. Can I expect them
to grow if I plant them in garden soil? Should I remove the outer shell first?
to grow if I plant them in garden soil? Should I remove the outer shell first?
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| Texas mountain Laurel dried seed pods |
A. Texas mountain Laurel can be started or propagated from
seed but there is at least one major hurdle you must overcome. This hurdle is
the very hard coat around the seed, not the pod.
seed but there is at least one major hurdle you must overcome. This hurdle is
the very hard coat around the seed, not the pod.
The seed is best harvested from pods that have not fully matured. If possible harvest the seed from pods that have not yet turned brown but give you a clear indication that there is a seed which has fully formed.
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| Texas mountain Laurel |
For seeds to germinate they must
absorb water, be at the right stage of development, have warm temperatures and
air. This very hard seed coat does not permit water to enter the seed and begin
the germination process.
absorb water, be at the right stage of development, have warm temperatures and
air. This very hard seed coat does not permit water to enter the seed and begin
the germination process.
To my knowledge, this seed does not have to be stored in cold temperatures prior to starting them from seed. Some seeds from temperate climates have to go through a simulated winter in the refrigerator before you plant them or they will not germinate.
This seed does not seem to need this. However, to be on the safe side take half of your seed and give them an 8 week cold treatment in the fridge and take the other half with no cold treatment and see what happens. Give them a cold treatment before you damage the seed coat.
Damaging the seed coat without
damaging the seed permits water to enter and start the germination process. If
the damage to the seed coat is too deep, the seed may die.
damaging the seed permits water to enter and start the germination process. If
the damage to the seed coat is too deep, the seed may die.
The easiest way to damage the
seed coat safely is to use a file or sandpaper and scratch or nick the seed
coat deep enough so this barrier is breached but not deep enough to damage the
seed itself.
There will be some variation in these plants because they are
propagated sexually, that is by seed. When these seedlings first come out and
reach about 1 foot in height you can begin to discard plants that don’t have
the size or shape that you desire. This is called “roguing” out the
seedlings.
Here is a good website to look at.
This website seems to say it needs a cold treatment