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Stratification (seeds)

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– **Cold Stratification**
– Seeds need cold and moist conditions for germination.
– In the wild, seed dormancy is overcome by spending time in the ground during winter.
– Cold stratification triggers seed embryo growth.
– Seeds are refrigerated in vermiculite, peat, or sand for 1-3 months.
– Soaking seeds in cold water before stratification can reduce time needed.

– **Warm and Cold Stratification**
– Seeds needing warm stratification require 15-20°C.
– Seeds needing both warm and cold stratification are first warmed, then cooled.
– Warm stratification followed by cold can be done by planting in summer.
– Some seeds may not germinate until the second spring.

– **See Also**
– Scarification improves seed permeability for germination.
– Vernalization induces flowering using cold.

– **References**
– Backyard Agora: “Stratification (botany)”.
– J. Evelyn’s “Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees”.
– Chinosol German: National Center for Biotechnology Information.
– Chinosol Fungicide: Presque Isle Wine Cellars.
– Retrieved from Wikipedia on “Stratification (seeds)”.

– **Categories**
Horticulture.
Plant reproduction.
– Hidden categories include articles with unsourced statements.

In horticulture, stratification is a process of treating seeds to simulate natural conditions that the seeds must experience before germination can occur. Many seed species have an embryonic dormancy phase and generally will not sprout until this dormancy is broken.

The term stratification can be traced back to at least 1664 in Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber, where seeds were layered (stratified) between layers of moist soil and the strata were exposed to winter conditions. Thus, stratification became the process by which seeds were artificially exposed to conditions to encourage germination.

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