I just ordered some Apricot seeds with the attempt to germinate them.  The question is do I need to stratify them first?  I don’t know if they’ve been stratified or not from the seller so I’m trying to figure out if I need to or not.  Any opinions please?

On 4/1/2018, 10:43:03, Logolight said:

I just ordered some Apricot seeds with the attempt to germinate them.  The question is do I need to stratify them first?  I don’t know if they’ve been stratified or not from the seller so I’m trying to figure out if I need to or not.  Any opinions please?

I've not grown these from seed, but I have germinated peach, nectarine and almond seeds successfully with cold stratification.  I believe I read somewhere that apricots need some period of cold to germinate as well.  My method was a moist paper towel (not wet) in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for roughly 3 months.  Often the seeds started germinating while still in the refrigerator!  I've also germinated magnolia seeds this way.  Good luck with them!

Jon

I am in the Bay Area of Northern California, have a 34 y/o Tilton Apricot, and find seedlings almost every year around the yard.  I do not know what my ground temperature is, and last year we got to 28 degrees Fahrenheit cold (not easy for keeping my tropical palms, but, I manage), but, that was only for a few nights, and the ground is much warmer.  I don't know my ground surface temperature.  I do know that if I dig 3' down, the ground temp is a stable 65 degrees (per my geophysicist husband).  So, if you can locate surface temp information in the Bay Area (Contra Costa County), that would be the answer to your question, unless Apricot varieties vary.  I actually bought our new refrigerator because it has a closed drawer in it, so, I can set the exact temperature, and use that to stratify my alpine plant seeds, some of which require cycling of heat, and cold of varying temps depending on the seed requirements.  I am lucky in that the seed germination requirements are located several places online for alpines.

Cecile