We and Trees : Seeds of Hope

Hope You liked the last post! As You know, just two seeds of Indian Coral tree have lead to the foundation of Gifting Trees. And after witnessing the growth of tiny, delicate buds from seeds, it eventually became my habit to collect seeds, pods or fruits of Native trees wherever I go. It not only helped me in learning nursery techniques but in identifying various tree species also!

The world of seeds is very fascinating. It’s really wonderful to see or witness how a dead-like tiny seed transfers into a sapling and then into a large tree! As an amateur, I was unaware of different seed treatments that have to be done prior sowing to increase the germination percentage. With trial and error, I am still learning the interesting aspects of seeds.

With time we also realized that it is much easier and cheaper to make the seeds germinate and grow your own saplings for plantation. It's better to sow the seeds in poly-bags first and not directly at planting site as the young saplings need to be taken care of. For poly-bags, there are number of commercial products which comes in poly-bag packaging. One can reuse them for Green purpose!

There are seeds which do not require any pre-sowing treatment. Just keep them on the soil and they will germinate. For example, seeds of Mango, Pongam, Palash, Mahua etc are very easy to germinate.

Few seeds do not respond to mere sowing and watering. They require hot water or cold water soaking or scratching before sowing for germination. For example, seeds of Wild Date Palm, Semal, Babool etc should be immersed in the cold water & kept overnight before sowing for better germination. In Gifting Trees’ trees-related posts, I made it sure to mention the seed treatment whenever necessary. It might be helpful for those who want their own grown saplings.

Here are few photographs our own saplings..

                         Saplings of Neem and Puple Orchid tree 

                                          Saplings of Palash

                                           Saplings of Mango

The saplings should be at least one year old before they are destined to the plantation site. This helps in preventing the mortality.

Seeds come in number of shapes, colors and sizes. A few small seeds have the power within them to feed a family; a fistful of seeds, the whole community. Our future depends on saving the traditional diversity of seeds around us..! Its amazing what a seed can grow! Only there is need to visualize a tree or plant in it.