Bay Laurel Seeding
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Meckleburg Farm
Posted on: November 12, 1999

I would like to order bay seed. Could you tell me how many seed to the ounce, the approximate germination rate to expect and when to sow here in zone 5, Connecticut, USA?

Each bay laurel seeds weighs about one gram, therefore there are about 28 seeds per ounce. You can expect about 40% germination. The seed should be sown in flats or pots as soon as received. We ship when our stratified seed starts to germinate and this usually occurs in March or April. We usually sow them very densely in flats of sand and prick them out into individual pots as soon as the shoots start to unfurl the first true leaves. If they are left any longer, the tap root will be too long and get damaged. Such damage results in very poor subsequent growth.

I presume you know that bay laurel can overwinter outside only in zones 8 to 10.

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