Trident Maple Seeds Green

[RockyGrowth]

I pulled some seeds yesterday from a Trident maple tree in a park, I was wondering if I pulled them at the right time or if I should have waited. Here’s a photo:
The leaves are brown but the pods are green. I would love to hear your guys thoughts.

 

[leatherback]

I leave seeds on the tree until I see ripe seeds that start to fall normally. These would be too young for me.

 

[RockyGrowth]

On water test majority of the seeds are floating. I'll try the sinkers, but you're probably right. I'll have to wait for a few more weeks to go back again and pick some more.

 

[Shibui]

Many seeds develop a viable embryo well before they fully ripen so it is possible that some of those seeds will germinate. We sometimes use that trait when growing species with germination inhibitors. Unripe seeds generally germinate without any treatment because the inhibitors seem to be the last things that are added to a developing seed.
The down side is that unripe seed does not usually store well. Unless they are sown very quickly they deteriorate and become unviable in a few weeks.
Not sure how you intend to manage the seedlings but I can foresee problems keeping young seedlings alive and healthy through a BC winter. In most cases, seedlings don't grow well through winter so Spring germination often catches up then surpasses weaker seedlings that have been struggling through winter indoors.
I'd also collect riper seed - tridents seem to be fully ripe when the leaves fall - then sow so they germinate in spring as nature intended.

 

[RockyGrowth]

As an additional question, I try collecting some hornbeam seeds from a tree that was dropping its leaves early. I specifically targeted the seeds that had brown leaf encasing, but when I did another water test, they all sank to the top. Is the float test always reliable or is there something else I’m missing (IE should the seeds be picked when the leaf encasing is yellow?)

 

[Shibui]

Float test is not a reliable indicator of seed viability. Some species that grow close to water have developed floating seeds to aid in spreading their genes further afield.
Sometimes the kernel may not have completely filled the shell, even though it is fully viable, leaving some extra air inside that may cause the seeds to float.
While not relevant to fresh collected seed, I have noticed that stored seed seems to float more than fresh seed. I'm guessing the embryo inside starts to dry and shrink, sometimes enough to change the seed from sinker to floater.

In the case of that hornbeam, do you know why the leaves were dropping early? Early leaf drop would usually indicate some stress or even death of the tree. The tree may not have had enough spare energy to complete the seed development. I would not put a lot of trust in seed from a tree that's not fully healthy.

 

[RockyGrowth]

Since I’m planning on cold stratification, I’ve decided to wait for the trident seeds. I was wondering if also there is any members on this site that have quite good experience with maples or trident maples that I could read through.

 

[Pugs]

Are trident seeds tricky to grow? I know the Paperbark Maple seeds have a very low germination rate. Something like 6% is what I remember reading many years ago. I hope tridents are better than that.I'll be harvesting seeds off a neighbor's tree after leaves start dropping.

 

[Wulfskaar]

You'll find a ton of threads here on bnut about growing maples from seeds. I don't think it's difficult. I've even done it.

 

[leatherback]

Are trident seeds tricky to grow? I know the Paperbark Maple seeds have a very low germination rate. Something like 6% is what I remember reading many years ago. I hope tridents are better than that.I'll be harvesting seeds off a neighbor's tree after leaves start dropping.

dead easy. plant fresh seeds in open substrate in fall. Let them go through winter and as weather warms up they will sprout.

 

[Shibui]

Trident maple germinate very easy. Fresh seed will germinate without stratification but I usually sow outdoors soon after collecting the seed which gives natural stratification. Stratifying indoors in the fridge can lead to all sorts of mould problems as can germinating early and trying to manage seedlings indoors while the weather warms up.
Seedlings that sprout outdoors when the weather is right have far less problems and, by the end of the first year, will usually overtake early germinated seed grown indoors.

 

[SeanS]

Since I’m planning on cold stratification, I’ve decided to wait for the trident seeds. I was wondering if also there is any members on this site that have quite good experience with maples or trident maples that I could read through.

I have a dedicated trident thread and JM thread that document my maples, maybe of which I’ve grown from seed