Spruce cone seed help

yuccaman · Post by **yuccaman** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 12:36 pm

I got a seed from a spruce cone. Is the the right seed? And more help Do I have to soak it in warm water or just plant it?

Heres the tree im trying to grow. grow

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 4:29 pm

Heres a link that should answer some of your questions,

(in .pdf format)

http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/forestry/pdfs/spruceseed.pdf

yuccaman · Post by **yuccaman** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:31 pm

Thanks knnn. I think I got the right part of the cone.Its a long wait to do what they are telling me but I have done this with other seeds. Or I dont need to do it.

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 6:05 pm

If this is a cone thats been outside then you probably do not need to worry about the cold treatment.

I had some Giant Sequoia seeds I germinated last year, Soaked in a cup of water for about a week or two in the fridge and placed halfway into a mixture of 50% potting soil and 50% mineral rich soil,(usually the stuff you find when you dig down 1'-2')
About 80% germinated within 6 weeks, but lost them all during the summer here. Seemed to be hot & humid with drought conditions for months on end.

Shifting my efforts this year to more Cactus & arid Palms

(PS--Just wanted to add, I recall these soaked for about 3 weeks total, Also ,if you have a firepit on your property the soil from around this works real well to mix in too)

yuccaman · Post by **yuccaman** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:57 am

This is a cone that has fallen by high winds and its been outside. I will use the soil around my fire pit. I ripped the cone in half to get that seed so it does not need that much Germination. The cone is very dry.

Alchris · Post by **Alchris** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:45 am

Donny;

What you have there is a piece of the seed cone instead of the seed. I will be posting a scan of the seed from one of my spruces in the photos. One part of the scan will have a seed with 'wing' attached. The other part will be the seed seperate from the 'wing'. If you can get more cones from that tree put them in a paper bag and let them sit over night at least. Then shake the bag to seperate any seeds that have not already fallen out of the cone.

If you can't find any more seed, I have 2 different varieties of spruce in my yard and can get you some seed from either of them. One(where I got the seed in the scan) is a bright green spruce that I don't think grows very tall(It was 'topped' for an xmas tree so took years to replace its leader). The other is a 'tame' white spruce with blue new growth which changes color to the color of your tree with age. It has large individual boughs who's tips droop once they reach about 10 feet long. It is about 25 feet tall at about 30-40 years of age.

Allen

Alchris · Post by **Alchris** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:59 am

Have patience with the picture. I wanted it big enough for you to identify the seeds and went overboard. The actual seed and 'wing' are about 1/4 inch long.

Allen

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:41 am

Thanks for the photo!
That should help clarify things a bit Would you happen to know how well red cedars propagate by cuttings? or if at all?
(Have some on the property that still look decent, most of the pines and such here are pretty beat up)

Thanks,

yuccaman · Post by **yuccaman** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 12:15 pm

I left the cone overnight and got little winged things could the be the ones?

These should be it. Thanks the the info allen.I saw that there was 12 of them had the same look.

Alchris · Post by **Alchris** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 6:42 pm

That is definitely a spruce seed. I can't tell if the seed part is rounded rather than shrivelled. If you can seperate the seed from the wing with a gentle scrape of your finger nail and it is rounded it should be healthy.

Allen

yuccaman · Post by **yuccaman** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:14 pm

I just got more seeds. From the part that holds in 2 seeds and got great looking seeds. I got a seed from another spruce and just planted it in normal soil. Just to see if would work. It should sprout in late april. My palm did that. But I maybe wrong.Spruces and palms do not have the same growth rate.

Alchris · Post by **Alchris** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:14 pm

Cedars are a varied bunch. The cedars that I usually see in western Canada are actually an arborvitae(sp). The western Red Cedar that is on the moist areas of the Pacific North West is a Thuja. The Eastern Red Cedar that is found along the US east coast between New Jersey through North Carolina (more or less) and likes wet lands is a Juniper. I don't know any 'Red Cedar' that is a Cedrus(true Cedar).

Arborvitaes and Junipers propagate well from cuttings/ layering/on tree rooting. The Thuja is a little less successful and I am told that the Cedrus doesn't propagate by cutting very well. Most pines propagate like the arborvitaes and junipers.

What kind are you referring to?

Allen

yuccaman · Post by **yuccaman** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:23 pm

I like the red cedar

It does help with the black flies and other pests. I have a small one and does great. But it does take alot of water but they are still great. I cant wait until it gets bigger

I also like the monkey puzzle tree mines in a pot and wont do that good in zones 5b to 6a. We are much to hot for it. The best pines that do good here are austrian pines, Scotch pines, and ponderosa pine. They are heat takers.The red cedar does okay in my zone and can take 36C but bad in 40C.

Alchris · Post by **Alchris** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:37 pm

Hi Knnn;

I found an Eastern Red Cedar that is found in Kansas. It is Juniperus virginiana and should propagate easily by cuttings, on branch rooting or layering. Check 'www.gpnc.org/eastern.htm' to see if your cedar is the same tree.

Each of the 3 methods has it's advantages. They should be started after the spring spurt of growth is finished(End of June).

Cuttings requires a shaded area with translucent cover as a part of a sealed propagation unit to ensure that the cuttings are cool, moist and get a little light. It is good for mass propagation. Take a cutting that is semi hardwood-this years growth plus part of last years growth. Cut it just below a node and cut at a 45 degree angle. Dip it in Rooting hormone (type 2) and stand it in rooting soil that is about 4 " deep at about 6" on centre. It takes about 2-2 1/2 months to root.

Layering involves pinning low hanging branches to the ground. I use wire clothes hangers. Slice off a 1/2 " piece of bark beside where the branch is pinned and dust it with rooting hormone. Pile soil over the pinned area and keep the soil moist. After 2 - 2 1/2 months cut the branch on the tree side of the pinned area and pot the cutting.

On branch rooting involves packing rooting soil around a part of the branch that has had a piece of bark sliced off with rooting hormone dusted on the wound. Use a baseball sized fist full of rooting soil on a piece of aluminum foil with the shiny side out. Mound the soil around the branch and wrap it in the aluminum foil twisting the ends tight against the branch to seal the moisture in. Lee Valley Tools( and others ) carries a plastic do-mah-hickey that does the same thing as the Aluminum foil. This also takes about 2 - 2 1/2 months before you can cut the branch off below the aluminum foil and pot the cutting.

****
The rooting soil should be sterile and should be 1 part sand to 1 or 2 parts seed starting mix(I use play sand from Home Depot/Rona). It should be moist. Squeeze surplus moisture from it with your hands.
****

I prefer the layering or on branch rooting. I usually use a longer piece of branch with these methods and get faster growth in year 2 and on. Try several ways and see what works best for you.

I usually peek every month or so to see how things are doing. I doubt that peeking helps.

Allen

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 4:03 am

Allen,
You seem to be right on with the ID, I'll post a photo in the gallery when I get a chance.

Thank you for the detailed info, Articles on the web are informative ,but hearing from people who can add their own experience have always been the most valuable .

-Steve

PalmsNorth.com

Spruce cone seed help

Spruce cone seed help

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