Located a Prickly Ash tree yesterday that's nearby, collected a few dry seed,and I will be able to pick more seed than anyone would ever want in the next few weeks, I'm sure. Does anyone have any tips to give re getting seed to germinate? I'm assuming it will be somewhat difficult - may be wrong - because I've never seen a Prickly Ash growing wild that wasn't in a fence line and I'm assuming that's because the seed may only germinate after going through a bird's digestive process.
Found one more Giant Swallowtail egg as I was collecting seed.
My 2 captive GST cats are getting very large and eating lots of Prickly Ash. Please tell me what to expect next.
DNP
Prickly Ash seed
Do you think this is the seed you collected?? Lot's of details here....
http://books.google.com/books?id=r9qqlxIOKTwC&pg=RA1-PA519&lpg=RA1-PA519&dq=prickly+ash+germinate&source=bl&ots=H1BKnH7FQr&sig=eXfbA0msmFrhv7O4xMxDkpGue3k&hl=en&ei=4_KBSrmDBYjyMa2I3Z8L&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#v=onepage&q=prickly%20ash%20germinate&f=false
I will be interested to know how your seed starting goes.
Good luck. t.
Oh, and one source suggests giving the seed a treatment with sulfuric acid and another source suggests propagation by cuttings or root cuttings rather than by seed.
Sounds like it's a tough nut to crack!
This message was edited Aug 11, 2009 6:50 PM
I have only have tried seed germination of Zanthoxylum hirsutum, which grows in south-central Texas. It is probably one of the hardest seed to germinate I've ever tried...I've only been able to germinate one. I just don't know how to do it, so I'm not much help there. Haven't yet tried cuttings or root cuttings. Sulfuric acid should only be handled by those trained to handle it. I know how to safely use it because I've taken enough labs during college and was trained. It is quite a bit safer than most acids, but you cannot ever be too safe with acids, you know? Just thought I'd mention that.
tobasco, that link is interesting. I'm not exactly sure of the meaning of some of the terms. For instance, "Aerate cleaned seed until imbibition occurs." Is that just a "scientific" way of saying let it cure in warm dry air, not refrigerated?
LindaTX8, thanks for your input. It is really frustrating to have this tree growing all around us but can't figure out how to get one started in my butterfly garden. Cannot find any small ones that aren't attached to a hard stump because they've been repeatedly cut down in a fence line. At least right now we're lucky that we can just stop on the road and cut off fresh branches to feed the 3 Giant Swallowtail caterpillars we're raising. They sure eat a lot !!
Maybe I'll pick a bunch of the seed and put them in my neighbor's bird feeder and hope they deposit them ready to germinate in my yard. ROFL.
Glenna
Glenna, if I was you I'd take some seed and just plant some outside in pots. Who knows? There's some chance it might work...it apparently needs warm weather and then probably won't germinate until next spring (if at all).
That author was being about as clear as mud, IMO. I have the book and this is basicly what it says about those two things. To aerate, the seeds are put in plenty of water to give them room to "swirl around" in...she uses little hoses and aquarium pumps (yeah, right, maybe someday I could have that stuff sitting around!)...but I guess it could be "swirled" manually, water changed every 12 hours or so and they only need a day or two of this. Imbibition has to do with the seed absorbing water and swelling up. When aeration period is over, seeds should be rinsed and planted, according to the author. She only mentions the Zanthoxylum fagara, which MIGHT be cold-hardy as far north as San Antonio...or not, depending on the source. Too bad, many other Zanthoxylum species grow in the SW!
If you have lots of the tree volunteers around, try to take some cuttings. Seems like that would work.
I'm going to give it a try, both rooting a cutting and the seed. Have enough seed to just sow it everywhere. Maybe sooner or later some will germinate. Kind of funny that all these years we thought Prickly Ash trees were a big nuisance, something that had to be cut out of fences; never knew they were host to such a beautiful BF. I still don't enjoy dealing with the thorns when getting them to feed the GST cats. Won't be very surprised if none germinate because we have searched around any tree we see and never see any small ones sprouting up and you'd think with thousands of seeds falling each season that there would be some small trees nearby. They are ONLY in fence lines and that is what makes me feel the birds play an important role in germination.
Thanks for your input.