Hawthorn crateagus berries

[James147]

Hello

I’m a complete novice in germinating our natives from berry /seed / nut.

I’ve two quick questions which might help me in my quest to improve

1. I collected hawthorn berries at halloween so lets say 10 weeks ago approx. I’ve stored them outdoors in a net like sack and they would have got some rain and moisture but they havent really spoiled that much at all so far. My question: Are they still viable as I have read online that really i should extraxt the seed quickly and sow them using whatever method. I would believe they have drier out as the berries are still very “fleshy”

2. I collected hazel nuts a few weeks earlier and they have been storex in a similar way al be it they havent had much moisture. Im confident they are still viable but stand to be corrected?

If so, is it possible to crack the shells and plant the “naked” nut or do they rot etc? I can control mice etc but dont want to waste the hard to collect nuts if this isnt agood idea.

I willdo the float test on nuts prior to selection either way

Appreciate any help and can share photos to confirm conition of either or

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Hawthorn you do need to separate the seed from the outer berry, I think naturally this would be done by birds eating them, they are hard seeds and you can mash them up to get the outer off.
Hazel use the whole nut, and there is a long germination period. They vary considerably, some nuts are twice the size of others, if you are growing for the nuts it is worth being selective. I had a dormouse have a go at mine, they leave a neat little round hole.

 

[Tetters]

Be aware James, that once prepared and sown, Hawthorn will take up to 2 years to germinate and are very slow growing. Cuttings are always worth a go in the spring time, but are very very difficult to strike.
You did well to leave your seeds out in the cold for the winter. In spring it is a good plan to mix your seeds with horticultural sand (washed) and sow them in trays then.
You can buy rooted whips for hedging at a very reasonable price from the Woodland Trust.

 

[MiniOrchardDude]

2. I collected hazel nuts a few weeks earlier and they have been storex in a similar way al be it they havent had much moisture. Im confident they are still viable but stand to be corrected?

I would suggest getting a bareroot or a rooted cutting. These take a long time to produce. A rooted cutting will produce much sooner. This will be the 4th season and I got a few catkins from only one shrub. Mine were rooted cuttings. Another thing to consider is starting from seed only for them to die. I lost a total of 3 hazelnuts. One I mowed with the garden hose and 2 died due to moles.

Yet another thing to consider is that some do not cross polinate. If you have different variety seeds how will you know that cross pollination would be successful? In addition the ones that do cross polinate will produce a different offspring. The seed you plant will not taste the same as the seed you get form it.

I have 2 American varieties. If I had it all over again I might but not sure yet got the european varities. They apparently taste better and are a lot bigger but that is just what I read. The Americans hazelnuts are common to my state so I figured it would be resistant to any diseases in my environment which they are. They never need any spray!

MOD

 

[Tetters]

I forgot to talk about Hazel. A popular way to increase your stock is by layering. You could also plant some nuts - same way as the squirrels do usually works.....nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I would probably wait until late spring, and prune the existing stock back, using the prunings in 12'' sections to plant together in bundles out in the garden.
If you whisper to them that you don't want them to root, and that you are only saving them to use as pea sticks, they will be sure to grow!
That would be a bit like some pea sticks I used once, and finished up without peas at all, just a lovely Fuschia hedge
If in doubt, have a go at any and all methods and see which brings the best results.
Patience works - rooting powder usually doesn't!!
Propagation used to be my occupation about two hundred years ago.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I used to live in Ropewalk opposite the church in Goudhurst. The large house opposite was the home of Mr Lambert who developed the 'filbert', a very large Kentish cob nut, in the 1830's, 30 years ago there was still a stand of them against the fence.
Coincidentally my several times great grandfather through my maternal grandmother, John Udall, is buried in the churchyard opposite.