Stratification - what is it? Stratification of seeds in the refrigerator

Often, beginning gardeners and flower growers, buying seeds, see the unfamiliar word “stratification” on the packaging. What is a process, what species are there, the seeds of which plants need stratification?

Concept of stratification

What is stratification? The definition of stratification is as follows: it is an artificially created period of natural winter rest. Creating conditions for seeds of low temperature and high humidity. Under such natural conditions, the seeds are in the autumn and winter in the soil.

The seeds of some plants fall into the ground in the fall and should not rise until spring, because the cold will destroy young shoots. The shell of such seeds is denser and harder. Only special conditions deplete the shell, complex organic substances in the seed go into a simple form and the seeds grow.

These special conditions include the alternation of low and high temperatures, along with high humidity.

Stratification can be carried out in natural and at home.

Natural stratification. What is "winter sowing"

Stratification of seeds in vivo is simple and less labor intensive. Gardeners call the process "winter sowing." For natural stratification, you must:

1. Sow seeds in pots or special boxes, be sure to apply drainage.
2. Cover the soil with lutrasil from weeds and moisture evaporation.
3. Put in a shaded place.

Gardeners with experience consider natural stratification better than artificial, domestic. Some seeds are sown in late autumn. Having wintered under the snow, on warm spring days they themselves will shoot.

Home stratification

At home, seeds need to create a setting similar to natural. To do this, the seeds are mixed with coarse-grained soil or sand, peat, moisten the soil, sift, silt particles are removed from the sand.

Experienced gardeners wrap the seeds in a moistened cloth, bandage them with wire and place them in a container with a limited amount of water. Such rolls must be marked without fail: a label is strung on the wire, which indicates the type of seeds, the date the stratification begins.

The water in the tank should be at the very bottom, in no case should you immerse fabric rolls completely in water. Air and seeds will leave the tissue and, during the period of growth, which are in dire need of oxygen, they will die.

The method of stratification of seeds at home implies the need to inspect, clean damaged or rotten, moisturize. This is done until the roots of roots begin to appear in the seeds.

After the end of the stratification period, the swollen seeds are sown in the ground and kept in a room at a temperature of 22-24 degrees.

Home stratification. What is “chilling deception”?

Another simple way is to stratify the seeds in the refrigerator. It is necessary to sow the seeds in moist soil, wrap in a film with a hole and put in a refrigerator or basement with a low temperature regime - up to ⁺ 7 degrees. At the end of the stratification, bring the box with seeds into the room.

Important: before placing the seeds in a refrigerator or cellar, they must be kept at room temperature for swelling.

Stratification duration

The duration of seed stratification depends on the type of plant. This information is usually written on the packaging. The average stratification period is one to two months. There are seeds that require stratification from one week to four months.

What plants need stratification?

Plants need a short stratification of one to two weeks, such as:

• livia;
• meconopsis;
• edrayantus.

Long-term stratification is necessary for:

• most types of decorative bows;
• wormwood;
• clementines;
• Corydalis;
• dryads;
• milkweed;
• geraniums;
• irises.

There are plants that sprout in the second year after stratification, these include:

• hellebore;
• arum;
• Adonis;
• peonies.

Tree seed stratification

A fairly simple example is the stratification of apple seeds. Before preparing the seeds, you need to choose the ripe and largest apple. Remove seeds and rinse with water to rinse off inhibitor substances that inhibit the growth process. Then for 3 days soak the seeds in water.

On the third day, add a growth stimulator to the water, for example, Epin.

We prepare a substrate of sand, vermiculite and activated carbon. Charcoal is needed to prevent mold. Moisturize and mix prepared soil with swollen seeds. Pour the soil with seeds into a container and put in the refrigerator. You can use a flower pot or a small box. The tank should have large drainage holes to remove excess moisture.

In the apple tree, the stratification process takes a considerable time - about 90 days. All this time it is necessary to check the soil, if necessary, moisten from the sprayer.

If you start stratification of apple seeds in early February, in May the seeds will be prepared for sowing.

Stratification of Flower Seeds

Many flowers are characterized by low germination, as a result of which it is impossible to grow them without the process of stratification. Such flowers include peonies, buttercups, irises, lavender, aconites, anemones.

With a small number of seeds, stratification can be carried out according to simplified options:

1. Sow the seeds in cups, place them in plastic bags, make them in the holes and put in the bottom of the refrigerator.
2. Cut a cloth measuring 15X50 cm into rags, evenly distribute the seeds on the canvas. Bend the edges of the canvas, securing the ends. Place the rolls in a bowl, pour a little water on the bottom and put in the lower section of the refrigerator.

The stratification process is simple, having tried it for the first time, you can grow a wide variety of flowers.

What determines successful stratification?

The main factors that influence the success of stratification:

• Seed quality. Seeds must be collected recently. Otherwise, some seeds completely lose their germination and disappear.
• Lowering and raising the temperature should be smooth.
• Compliance with the time frame of the process. If stratification is not completed, seed germination will be limited.
• Determination of the duration of periods. For some plants, the cold period should be longer than the warm one and vice versa.
• Compliance with the temperature regime, which varies from 0 to ^- 5 degrees. This type of plant, such as buttercups, must be frozen at minus temperature.
• Identify the need for a scarification process. The seeds of some plants and trees have a very thick shell; before sowing, they are shaken with sand or wiped with sandpaper.

Why is seed stratification necessary? What is nature not provided for, since a person has a need to intervene in the natural process of growth? The ability to control the time and progress of seed germination, obtaining healthy and effective seedlings will make a true breeder out of a simple gardener. Stratification allows you to grow winter-resistant varieties of vegetables. For example, the artificial stratification of carrots allows you to store the grown root crops in the winter.

In addition, there are seeds of rare plants, which are counted in units. To save their number just allows the process of stratification.