Germinating Schisandra and Gardenia
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Liliana Stewart
Posted on: April 17, 2002
Some time ago I bought Schisandra and Gardenia jasminoides seeds from
you. I tried to germinate them, twice, unsuccessfully. Now, I don't
want to start again, unless you provide me any advice, apart from the
one on the package, as I'm afraid I'll be run out of seeds later.
Concerning the other seeds I bought, all of them germinated! (Sweet
fennel, anise, menthol mint, foxglove, pepper!!, two types of tomatoes,
sweet peas, echinacea: it took its time!, marigold, lavender, musk
mallow : beautiful.)
In our catalogue we rate schisandra as difficult to germinate and
gardenia as medium difficult. Both are slow to germinate, as many
shrubs (and trees) are. Schisandra has a complex dormancy mechanism
built into the seeds that delays germination by as much as 1-2 years.
Gardenia will germinate sooner, but generally it requires several months
at least.
We recommend that schisandra be sown outdoors in a sunken wooden seed
flat and covered with a mulch. The mulch is left on until the following
spring when it is uncovered to check for germination. If germination
has not begun by the end of spring, the mulch is reapplied until the
next spring.
Gardenia can be sown in seed boxes like the other herbs you had success
with, but allow at least 2-3 months for germination to begin. We have
had success germinating gardenia without special treatments, but it may
benefit from an alternating cool-warm treatment where the seed box is
alternately placed in a refrigerator for 2-3 months and then in room
temperature for 2-3 months. If no germination occurs by the end of the
first cycle, then the cool/warm cycle is repeated.
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