Question
Hi...
 A friend of mine in Virginia just sent me some Hickory Nuts.  I don't know which species though.
 I live in S.C. Texas midway between San Antonio & Austin just off of Hiway 123 & IH-10.
 Can you possibly tell me when I can plant these nuts so that they'll grow down here ?  
 I'm assuming that the nuts had just fallen up in Virginia; and I know that they were growing over a Manganese Mine which has very rocky soil.
 My soil here is just on the border with my front yard being "Clayey", and my backyard just starting to change into Sandy Soil.

 Thank You !

 Ed D. Vasquez
 [email protected]


Answer
Hickories (Carya spp.) The seeds of most hickories are dormant, requiring stratification for various periods of time. Stratification requirements depend on the species and, to some extent, on the origin of the seed. The approximate stratification requirement of nuts of the most common hickories is three months at 33F to 50F. Fall planting of hickory nuts is used very successfully, provided that the nuts are well protected against rodents and severe freeze.

Cold stratification (moist-prechilling) involves mixing seeds with an equal volume of a moist medium (sand or peat, for example) in a closed container and storing them in a refrigerator (approximately 40oF). Periodically, check to see that the medium is moist but not wet.

The germination rate for hickories is about 50-75 % meaning that out of 100 seed this many may sprout.