I am trying to breed a strain of alder with bigger seeds. This autumn
I went round alders around Newcastle and in stands planted from
nursery stock rather than in self-seeded stands I found some
SIGNIFICANTLY bigger seeds.


Now I am trying to germinate them, but I am having problems. After I
found the seeds I kept them for a few weeks in the bottom of the
kitchen fridge. I took them out, soaked them for a day in water for a
day and "planted" them out on wetted towelling in a B&Q mains heated
propagator, the temperature inside is mid 20s°C, which seems
reasonable.

After 10 days, about a quarter of the "normal" sized seeds have
germinated and have grown about a centimetre.

But none of the much bigger seeds, the ones I really want, have grown
yet. Why not? And what can be done about it?

Do I simply need to wait longer?

Should I abrade them? Yesterday I took "big" seeds from the fridge and
rubbed them between sandpaper and as before soaked them in water,
(they floated, is this a sign of whether or not they have taken in
water?), I will "plant them out" tonight, is this likely to work?

Can you think of anything else?

Or, worst of all does their being big simply mean that they are
deformed and dead?

Michael Bell

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