How to Save and Plant Blackberry Seeds

Replicate the natural life of blackberry seeds to break their dormancy. Keep them in a warm place of 65 to 80 degrees for three months, which are the conditions they would have if the berry just fell to the ground from the bush--the rest of the summer and early fall.

Expose the seeds to an application of sulfuric acid, such as they would encounter if an animal had eaten them and passed the seeds through its acid stomach. Use a drain cleaner that contains sulfuric acid but be sure to follow all the safety precautions on the label as it is very caustic. Apply just enough to coat the tiny seeds in a glass container. Let it sit for about 30 minutes and then add water slowly to dilute the acid. Strain the seeds through a fine sieve and rinse under cool water.

Wipe the seeds dry with a paper towel and then wrap them in a damp paper towel that you have folded several times. Place it in a plastic bag. Move them into cold storage, like your refrigerator or garage for another three months---the wintertime.

Plant the seeds just under the surface of the soil in a tray filled with damp potting soil. Cover the tray with plastic to maintain a humid atmosphere until the seedlings emerge. Keep the tray at room temperature in a sunny window or under grow lights.

Transplant the seedlings to a larger container or outside if the danger of frost has passed, when they are 2 to 3 inches high. Maintain the moist soil and sunny conditions of at least six hours of full sunlight per day.