Stratification and why some seeds need it

Plants are ubiquitous but little thought is given tot heir origin. That is unless you have a garden. In that case you would be familiar with annual plants. Think of vegetables.

In other cases you might have an orchard of different sizes. This is where fruit seeds can be important.

Lastly there are more general trees, shrubs, vines and more. This includes stings like oak, maple and pine trees.

All of these have something in common. Seeds. Growing a tree from seed or in fact anything can be a problem. This is because some seeds just refuse to gemrina5te.

Those that just won’t germinate can be down to bad luck. A set of seeds that just weren't fertile.

In other case sit can be down to the seeds pre requisites. In this case stratification. Stratification being a normal process but rarely considered unless you plan ahead.

Stratification is a process that happens over 1 or more years in nature. It is the process of seasons coming and going. This exposes seeds to periods of cold and warmth. This exposure is what allows a seed to germinate. A process called stratification.

Now stratification is not just exposure to cold. It can actually be exposure to the right cold or exposure to the right heat.

This might be surprising but stratification can be both a hot and cold process. In fact it can require both. This is a seeming contradiction but does make sense in context.

Beyond this is that fact that some seeds need these temperature changes and specific moisture levels. Some are in need of wet but others do not want any moisture at all. This can be a problem as some people live where winter is just one long rain shower and others where winter is dry but cold. What you know for winter may not be right in this case.