A Beginner's Guide to Stratification

How many times have you tried to sow a fruit seed and actually seen it germinate? I know, I know, as a naive kid even I wondered if I sow an apple seed in a pot it would grow into a tree the next morning. Every time I would try to do that my mom would tell me that it doesn't work that way. Yet whenever I asked her why she thought so, she never had an answer. Looking back at it now I understand how all of us are aware of the idea of stratification just superficially when it can be so important to people wanting to try gardening out but being clueless about where to begin.

Many of us also prefer to just buy already germinated plants and skipping the whole patience requiring phase of waiting everyday to see the seed sprout. Most of us also give up on taking care of it before it has even started growing, thinking that we failed when in reality sprouting just takes a lot of time that no one is interesting in giving. 

Yet if you think about it, of course there should be a basic guide on how to properly sprout seeds! I mean I have no interest in spending unnecessary money on buying plants. Seriously guys, its just a plant, its nature. Nature shouldn't be bought! should it? And if sowing is done in the right manner just following some easy steps, the sprouting period is reduced by a good deal. 

So here I am today trying to help you guys get over and about this very neglected but very needed process, stratification. All of us had that seed growing activity in school didn't we? That one where you wet some cotton strands, put it in a glass, put a chickpea/ kidney bean between the strands and wait for it to grow? I guess we did. And yet just how many of us are acquainted with what it is called? That was just simple stratification my friend. Lets just blame our school to introduce that at a time we couldn't even spell the word seed okay? 

Okay, stopping to circle around in loops now. 

Stratification is basically a process that helps activating the process of germination in seeds and continues to assist its growth at a fast pace. You see, nature has given seeds this adaptive mechanism of deactivation to prevent premature germination. Now premature germination is when a seed starts to grow when it is still attached to its parent plant or still inside a fruit that has not rotted yet. Seeds also have a tendency to wait to be put in proper conditions before germinating, for of course, not even a seed is this stupid starting to grow just to die a few days after when/if proper growth conditions aren't available. 

Many seeds, more than you think for sure, can be stratified with a little differences in how it is done individually for each one. I will get into a little more detail of the 'how' part in the next blog along with the types of stratification, but for now all you need to know is, yes, it is very possible to grow a lime tree, a pear tree, dates, cherries, you name it! All you need is a little strategy and a little stratification. Make sure to tell your mom about this okay? XD