How to Raise Elderberry Seeds

Place enough sphagnum peat moss to envelope the elderberry seeds in a plastic bag. Hold it under the faucet and add warm water until the sphagnum peat moss is wet.

Hold the bagged moss in one hand and turn the bag upside down. Squeeze the moss to remove any moisture, allowing it to drain out of the bag. The sphagnum peat moss should be barely moist. Check the bag the next day for standing water and squeeze it out of the bag.

Push the elderberry seeds into the sphagnum peat moss until they are covered. Seal the plastic bag and place it in an area where the temperature remains between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 days. Check the bag periodically to make sure the moss remains moist.

Remove the bag from its warm location and place it in the refrigerator for 90 days.

Combine equal parts of peat moss, vermiculite and sand in a container and pour water over it. Stir the mixture until it is completely wet. Pour it into the nursery flat, to within 1 inch of the rim. Allow the mixture to drain for two hours before sowing the elderberry seed.

Scatter the seeds on the surface of the soil in the flat and cover them with a 1/8-inch layer of sand or sawdust. Several hundred seeds can be planted in the flat, according to scientists with the National Plant Data Center.

Place the flat in an area with bright sunlight, or within 6 inches of overhead lights. The seed bed must receive at least eight hours of light per day.

Keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate, which could take up to one year.

Transplant the seedlings into 3-inch pots, using the same type of planting medium in which they germinated, when they reach 4 inches in height. Allow them to grow on, keeping the soil moist, until they can be planted outdoors at six to eight months old.