tree peonies

any one know the simplest way to get these going from seed?

i do most of the propagation at work and this morning my boss proudly gave me a bag of tree peony seeds he'd collected from his garden. i have propped them before in a previous job but remember it involving bags of perlite and a fridge. i don't have either of these things....

if i just stick them in a pot outside and wait a couple of years is there any chance of it working?

thanks

 

Well they self seed in my garden, come up all over the place.

Of course I cant say how long each individual seed is taking to germinate, but I have heard they take two years.
Seem to remember something about growing a root the first year and making its first shoot the following spring, but I might have that wrong.

 

i have to say i wondered why he didn't just leave them in the ground and dig them up as young plants... he looked like he thought he was giving me a lovely present though, so i just ooohed and said 'how exciting'

think you are right about the 2 year thing, thats what we did before - the first year in damp perlite to get the root on and then into compost to start the leaf production the next year, if i remember rightly. but i think if you do them indoors then yuo need to give them a 'winter' inbetween.... i can just see that going down a bomb in the works kitchen....

 

I think some of the seed catalogues recommend putting in the fridge for a couple of months then warm for another couple followed by the fridge again.

Its supposed to speed things up, but it all depends on how much patience you have, for me the natural method would be ok.

 

I sowed some in a seed tray and placed it outside in the shade, they germinated in about 10/12 months. I don't know whether vernalisation speeds things up or not.

 

Hi
Iam half way through Rokcki (spelt wrong) 6 weeks in fridge now in the airing cupboard
We will wait and see but they are difficult

Spruce

 

Thought I had lost my Tree Peony to the long cold winter but notice today .

I know a in a friends garden hers self seed everywhere





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I used to work for H.M. Forestry Commission, this process is used for many tree seeds and is called "stratifying". The seed were buried in the ground for a couple of months in a mouse proof box, in order to keep them at a constant low temperature. Planting them out in the Spring raised the temperature and "woke" them up.

 

I put mine in the fridge :thumb:

 

thanks all - i have decided to just stick them in a pot outside and try not to let anyone throw them away for a few years.... i've got about 8000 bedding plants to worry about so it'll just have to do..........