Mountain Ash

[porshiepoo]

I have some Mountain Ash seeds that I'd like to try to germinate. Does anyone know of the dormancy period etc needed for this species? and / or the best way to germinate them?
I was thinking of just sowing some in pots and leaving them in a cold frame throughout the winter in the hope of this replicating what would normally happen but I'd like to know if anyone has any better ideas.

[stewart4364]

Mountain ash is also called a rowan. The easiest way of growing them is picking the ripe berries ( before the birds beat you to them -- they love them -- the birds will pass the seed and low and behold another rowan tree starts to grow) and scattering them around. Once they grow into a small tree, 12" to 15" high you can dig them up, if you wish, and plant wherever you want. I quite often pick some berries and scatter them but more often than not I let nature take its course and you will be provided with plenty of rowan trees. I get dozens every year by the nature method. Hope this is of some use to you and you get more than enough rowan trees.

[justine]

Try this link for info on mauntain ash. Good tips. I find it usefull if i need info on garden plants.

http://www.botany.com/sorbus.html

[porshiepoo]

This could possibly seem a very silly question but the seeds I have are in a pod type thing! They're not seed from fruit, they're more like those things we used to drop from a height when we were kids and watch them helicopter down!

I'm lost now.

[justine]

More than likely they are the outer coating of the seeds.Discard this when planting, although naturally it would grow as they fall from the tree in the wild.

However have you looked into the height of these trees, i give you the link to wikipedia on the mountain ash tree.Hope you have a lot of room..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_regnans

[porshiepoo]

More than likely they are the outer coating of the seeds.Discard this when planting, although naturally it would grow as they fall from the tree in the wild.

However have you looked into the height of these trees, i give you the link to wikipedia on the mountain ash tree.Hope you have a lot of room..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_regnans

LOL. Yes, I have plenty of land.
I was getting a tad worried because I couldn't find these particular seeds under Mountain Ash on the net but I googled just 'Ash' and there they were.

Now the boring part, I have to try to germinate them!

[justine]

Good luck, let me know if it works out.will be interesting to see if they grow.

[stewart4364]

Hi Porshiepoo,

It is not mountain ash or rowan seed you have but more likely to be sycamore. We used to call them aeroplanes as they whirled around like a propellor falling to the ground. Again these will self seed as I get dozens of them every year -- you could open them and plant them. A sycamore will have a span of maybe 20 or 30 feet and a height of maybe 60 to 100 feet or more. A rowan is a far narrower and shorter tree. Hope you have success with them.

[trinkie]

I've just spotted a wonderful picture on the photo thread - I think submitted by Kevin M..... of a Rowan Tree sprouting on the top of a telegraph pole !! That's how easy it is for the seeds to take root.

Kevin - do keep your eye on that pole to see how big the tree will get ! It's a great shot.

Trinkie