Beech seed float test

[SamWhiting12]

I have been looking around on the net to see whether floating beech seeds are a good indication of infertile seeds. Do any of you have experience on this as google threw up all different answers?

 

Got a bunch where all are floating, so hopefully this test is not true for beech.

[Goaty]

I have been looking around on the net to see whether floating beech seeds are a good indication of infertile seeds. Do any of you have experience on this as google threw up all different answers?

 

 

 

Got a bunch where all are floating, so hopefully this test is not true for beech.

 

 

Yes viable seed sink. This applies to many nut type seeds. I once bought a load of beech from a seed company. Floated before sowing to rid the rubbish, sure enough many floated and where crushable in a finger pinch. Viable embryos are solid without air or pests inside and not crushable with fingers.

Please be aware a percentage will of deteriorated since harvest now. All nutty seed are best sown fresh and stratifying will increase results and consistency.

 

 

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[SamWhiting12]

Ah cheers for the info Goaty. I haven't been very organised this year and was hoping to start stratifying the seeds when they were harvested in Autumn, but things have gotten in the way.

 

At least I have a few oaks potted up ready for the spring.

[David Humphries]

Agree with Goaty, though I don't have any experience specifically of beech.

 

We've harvested wild service seeds a couple of times and use rain water to carry out the sink test.

The floaters have all been unviable due partly to being either withered or impregnated by wasp grubs.

 

The plump sinkers usually have a high germination ratio.

 

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[shillo]

i got great success a few years ago with Beech seeds, virtually all my sinkers grew away and are now planted out in copses. Apparently it was a mast year when i collected my seeds so lots were viable. That is the limit of my knowledge!

 

the Oaks will grow out the bottom of those pots in no time at all, id go bigger next time.

[SamWhiting12]

I am wondering whether a lot of the beech seeds I have collected have been on the ground for over a year and that's why a lot of them aren't viable. Only a few were collected from capsules.

 

How long do you leave to oaks in pots? I plan to plant them in the woods next winter, will they out grow the pots by then?

[Goaty]

If you can leave a net or sheet under your tree to catch this years seed.

 

It will br ok to repot the oak mid summer. They would send tap root straight to the bottom of s two litre pot as well.

Just lift the trays now and again to prevent rooting through. The pruning action will cause the roots to use more of the cell.

 

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[SamWhiting12]

Ive collected more beech seeds this year, all have been take off the floor but still attached to the shell. 

 

Done the test again and all of them are floating. There are no visible bug holes but I have notice cracks where the seed attaches to the shell. 

 

Any my ideas why I have collected so many bad seeds?