How to Stratify Serviceberry Seeds

Serviceberry trees supply the landscape with year-round beauty. The plants produce white blooms in spring, deep green leaves and berries in summer, vibrant fall colors, and attractive form and bark in winter. The plants grow readily from seed if the seeds are properly prepared prior to sowing. Serviceberry seeds germinate after a period of cold stratification in moist conditions. The cold period emulates the natural winter period and signals to the seed that it's time to break dormancy and sprout.

Things You'll Need

• Bowl
• Peat moss
• Plastic bag

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Place a handful of peat moss in a bowl of water. Allow the peat to absorb the moisture for 30 minutes.

   • 2

     Squeeze out the excess water from the peat after soaking. Place the moist peat in a resealable plastic bag

   • 3

     Bury the serviceberry seeds in the moist peat. Seal the bag closed.

   • 4

     Place the bag in a 32- to 40-degree Fahrenheit location for three to six months. Keep the bags outside if your area has sufficiently cold winters or keep the bag in the refrigerator.