Question
Hi Tom,
I have some white dogwood seeds collected from bhutan an i
wanted to know how to propagate them. And the month i keep
them for stratification ( if required and the no of days n
How?). When to trans plant and how. I live in an Indian
state... Sikkim ( foot hills of the himalayas between Nepal,
Bhutan China and India ). The temperatures etc
Thanks.
Gyatso.
Be-yul Nursery and Landscapers.


Answer
Hi Karma,
Thanx for your question.  I met a fellow from Bhutan this past summer at our farmer's market.  I don't recall ever metting anyone from Sikkim though.  Greetings!

Plant the seeds in a pot of good potting soil, moist but not soggy and cover the seeds with 1 inch of soil.  You can place the pot outdoors for the winter but make sure you water it if you don't have regular snow or rain.  In the spring, after the last frost, the seeds will sprout.  Or, you can place the seeds in some sphagnum moss or wrap them in a damp paper towel and place inside a plastic baggie.  Seal the baggie and place it in the fridge for 90 days.  Remove the baggie from the fridge and plant the seeds an inch deep in a pot and keep it in a warm area but keep the soil most.  In the case of the pot outdoors, sprouting will occur sporadically during the spring after the last frost.  In the case of the seeds placed in the fridge and returned to a warm area indoors, sprouting will occur sporadically over the next 6 months.  Prick the seedlings out of the soil after they have their first set of true leaves and pot up separately.  Once the seedlings are strong and the danger of frost has passed, place the potted seedlings outdoors where they are protected from direct sunlight, rain, hail, wind and exteremes in temperature for 10 days.  After that, plant the seedlings in beneath other trees.  Dogwoods prefer a semi-shaded area.  They are a wonderful woodland tree existing underneath the canopy of the larger trees.  I hope this helps.  Please let me know if I have not been comprehensive in my instructions.
Tom