The profile lets us know that Norway maple seeds are cold germinators. In concrete terms, this means that only a cold stimulus puts the seeds in the mood to germinate. You can find out here how this stratification can be easily achieved in the refrigerator at home.
How do you germinate Norway maple seeds?
To germinate Norway maple seeds, place the seeds in water for 36-48 hours and then in a moist sand or potting soil bag in the refrigerator at -1 to +3 degrees for 6-8 weeks Celsius. Then sow the seeds in potting soil and place the pots in a partially shaded window seat.
Harvesting and preparing seeds – This is how it works
After flowering in April and May, the winged fruits of the Norway maple sail through the air in late summer and autumn. To get to the seeds hidden inside, do this:
- Cut off the wings and carefully pull them apart at the bottom with your fingers
- Pull out the flat seeds
- Soak the seeds in water for 36 to 48 hours
Since the ovaries of the characteristic fruits split when ripe, all that is required is a little sensitivity to harvest the seeds.
Sowing instructions – This is how stratification works
Pour the soaked seeds into a sturdy freezer bag with moist sand or potting soil. Tightly closed and twisted into a space-saving sausage, store the seed bag in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator at -1 to +3 degrees Celsius. With temperatures of -18 degrees Celsius, the freezer compartment is far too cold for the seeds. This is how it continues:
- After 6 to 8 weeks, take the seeds out of the fridge
- Fill small pots with potting soil (€6.00 on Amazon)
- Sow seeds, sieve thinly and spray with water
- Cover containers with transparent lids or cling film
- Set up in the partially shaded window seat
In the following weeks and months, please check the watering requirements regularly. Constant moisture in the substrate is beneficial for further growth. When the first green tips break through the soil, the lid or foil has done its job and is removed. If your Norway maple seedlings have developed 4 to 5 pairs of real leaves above the cotyledons, enrich the irrigation water every 4 weeks with diluted liquid fertilizer.
Tip
In the bullet maple profile you can read that Norway maple is its ancestor. In order to propagate an Acer platanoides Globosum, you are still fighting a losing battle by sowing seeds. In fact, globe maple is a refinement made by the master gardener, which cannot be propagated either generatively with seeds or using the vegetative method with cuttings.
