Want to grow your own pine? Admittedly, growing the conifer from seed independently from the very beginning takes effort and patience. Breeding is not always successful. An alternative are cuttings from specialist shops. However, if you take the time to germinate the pine tree seeds, you will be all the more proud of your own little pine tree later on. The following guide gives you helpful tips on how to germinate pine seeds.

Pine seeds should be stratified

Where are pine seeds available?

Seeds are of course essential for your own rearing. There are two options for procurement:

  • Acquisition from the nursery
  • independent gathering of pine cones

tips

Pine cones ripen in late August. It is best to start your search on a dry autumn day. Since the fruits only open when it is dry and warm, you should then lay your harvest directly in the sun to get to the seeds.

Separating wheat from chaff

Unfortunately, not all pine seeds germinate reliably. To find out which seeds are suitable for planting in the ground, do the following test:

  1. fill a large glass with lukewarm water
  2. put the seeds inside
  3. the useful seeds sink to the bottom, the empty seeds float to the surface of the water
  4. do a test by slicing open some avoidable empty seeds
  5. if they are filled anyway, wait a while until all the full seeds have sunk to the bottom

Stratify pine seeds

In fact, you can put your pine seeds in the ground right away. However, stratification is recommended to speed up the germination process. How to proceed:

  1. Find out about the stratification period of the pine species you have chosen
  2. dampen a cloth
  3. pound the seeds in it
  4. put the cloth in a plastic bag
  5. keep it in the fridge at 5°C
  6. a straw in the plastic bag ensures a sufficient supply of oxygen to the seeds

Characteristics of the onset of germination

If you have followed the instructions diligently up to this point, the seeds will soon begin to germinate. Check the progress regularly. The following characteristics will show you that your work is bearing fruit:

  • the seed rips open
  • the beginning of a root becomes clear

If there are still no results after several weeks, you can try again to germinate the seed by drying it and repeating the process. Finally, germinating seeds can be planted in the ground.

Category:

Trees