TOPIC: last years poor seed germination in the spring

BCastle,
Thanks for the info. You mentioned Garlic Mustard weed. Yea that garlic mustard is going nuts. It pulls up really easy and can be cleared by hand in a small area. But one would have to spend days, weeks, months or more to get rid of it in a large woods.

I'm really concerned about this stuff. I do not know if anyone has a true picture of what this stuff is going to do in the near years to come. It's not a pretty picture. I mean it grows like crazy and can spread even faster. My one spot with wild sang in it is completely over taken with this stuff and this happened all with in a 1 year period. It starts on the edge of the woods and moves inward.

I am afraid it will overtake our woodlands and crowd out our native woodland plants.

I hope someone smarter than me figures out how to get rid of it without damaging the native woodland plants. But I am not sure how that monumental task would even be feasible or implemented.

If it isn't in your woods folks that is great. But it's coming and if you see it get rid of it as early as possible. Like I said it pulls up so easy. A large mature 4 foot tall Garlic Mustard plant only has a shallow root system and can be pulled up with a very slight pull.

Latt

I share your concern Latt. I have places where I used to hunt turkeys where GMustart grew like grass and you couldn't see a bird coming in after the second week of the season.

It is definately an issue with our woodsgrown operations. I've noticed that garlic mustard germinates after tilling the beds with the new ginseng in the spring. There were years where my beds looked more like mustard beds than ginseng beds. I used to spend days in the woods in April pulling the stuff and piling it up to dry out and die.

I\"ve considered the concept of a wick system like they used to use in bean fields to kill corn and other taller weeds. Basically, they would mix a tank of Roundup, and let it flow into a horizontal pipe with wicks horizontally across the surface in the front. Therefore, they would not be spraying the herbicide, but it was available on the surface of the wicks and coated the plants that it brushed over. Just set the wick higher than the beans and lower than the other weeds so they get good contact (and a good coating) with the wick beam.

I\"m sure we both wish a wizkid in a college lab will come up with some biodegradable and completely non-toxic to anything but garlic mustard, chemical that we can spray all over the woods with 100% success and it only costs $2 a gallon. ....but unfortunately, I'm holding not my breath.

hugh- this is to everyone on this site.Planting using the skatter method in the bush always gives me hit and miss germination and on a good site maybe 25% will germinate. If you plant in this manner controlled depth coverage is almost impossible.
Try using a small tiller that is set at a controlled depth, your percent of germination in general will increase to around 75% plus or minus.
When you plant by the skatter method depth control is difficult that may explain why you notice staggered germination. The small areas of soft soils , indents and even foot prints will create areas where the seeds will receive more soil coverage and better germination.
The refridgerator idea doesn't work for me, I have seen stratified seed that was miss placed and left in a plastic container outside, fill with water and freeze solid for the winter then planted on snow and covered by garden soil, sprout at the same time as the ones planted in the previous fall.
We should also check the condition of our seeds embryos to confirm proper stratification before we spend the time and effort to plant our seeds.

I hear this problem of germination all the time, we do not check the embryo growth or stratification before planting. If we neglect to check we will never know what we plant and if a problem develops get down and dig to find the seeds and then split them open and check.

Guy

I hope that storage of sratified seed in the refridgerator
is controlled and in the spare or beer fridge.

Here's how to do it.

First you need a high quality thermometer, place it in a tall glass of water in the fridge. Monitor the temp. for afew days then turn the temperature control knob up or down to find a temperature of 50 degrees or so then monitor untill stable. Any seed to be stored should be dry enough so none stick to your hand but wet enough to feel moiste and not appear white. Then you can store the seeds untill they are planted. Monitor of the seeds moisture,health and embryo developement should also be done regularly.If they are starting to sprout plant asap.
You will also notice that your beer tastes better at this temperature.

Guy

I always love a good beer tip!

Fellows,
I really appreciate all the comments that have been presented in this thread. This is a book's worth of knowledge in one session.

I'm going to add one more comment to end my part of this years input on germination. I have been to all of my patches in the last three days. The last of the emerging seeds seems to have taken place now and seed pods are developing nicely. I did take a picture of the nicer yearlings yesterday and I took a soil sample from the best site to send off as soon as I can get down to the County Agent's office to get another sample box. I also received an order that I want to try http://www.bughat.com/store/pg/10-Products-Bug-hats-Bonnie-hats-Buckets-baseball-hats.html to keep gnats out of my eyes while I am in the woods looking for seng. Thanks again guys.
Hugh

Well, I will be looking out for that pesky Garlic Mustard. I havn't seen any near my plantings yet.

There's a problem down this way w/ kudzu. What an invasive, fast growing plant that is. I am really watching out for that one.

guys, thanks for the tilling tips, and planting tips. This year, I think I'm going to have totry a more controlled method like that to see how it works out!

I am having a hard time with this notion of the fridge did it.
If a seed falls to the ground in the wild it will go thru drastic temperature and moisture change for the 20 months till germination.

SIDE NOTE - Canadian GGA seed is stratified in large temperature and moisture controlled rooms, we call them fridges!

Guy

You have a valid point there Guy. I think the issue we were leaning toward was that in the ground, those temperature changes some a little more gradually than they would in the fridge, and the chilling wouldn't happen earlier than in nature.

Okays fellows,
I can see some validity in both points of view. As I have already said, I will be paying close attention to what happens in these spots where there was practically no germination this year. If I see 3 leafers popping up next April and I did not replant anything, what does that say?
Hugh