2mo ago

Has anyone grown red huckleberry from seeds in here? Any recommendations for starting them properly?

They grow natively, here, but not many native plant sellers seem to sell them, citing their difficulty in cultivating them.

I soaked 30 seeds for 24 hours, then planted them in a seed starter greenhouse with peat under a grow light.

12 comments

Id take half your seeds (or as many as you have room for) still in the soil pots and put them in the fridge for a month.
I say only half because it’s a little late in the season to waste a month on cold stratification, but it really helps with germination. Some might sprout without it and they’ll have an extra month of growth before winter this year.
It is a good season to take new growth cuttings now. They can take a month or more to root, so be patient.
- Got it! I plan to overwinter them as I missed the critical planting window this year (I have a warm grow cabinet and powerful grow light, so hopefully things will work out!). :)
  
  Good luck!!
Just fyi, peat is a non-renewable, unsustainable resource. You should switch to a different medium.
https://www.seasidesustainability.org/post/peat-is-petering-out-here-s-why
- Huh, I had no idea. Thanks for the heads up!
  Is the dirt in those little grow pucks actual peat, or is it "peat" the same way "pencil lead" is actually just graphite?
  
  If it says peat, it's probably peat. You should look into coconut coir.
I can't speak for huckleberries, but what I'd do maybe is to take a locally growing strong huckleberry and take a cutting off it. The plant doesn't have to be pretty, heavy fruit bearing, or whatever, just the most vigorous one.
Grow it to a small trunk, and then graft a heavy fruit bearing cultivar on it. By doing that, you'll get the best out of two worlds: a locally native and strong root stock, and highest quality fruit.
Regarding seed starting, I already made a post about it. Here it is
- Thank you! I thought about taking a cutting, but the only close place with huckleberries is a local (beloved) park where taking cuttings may be frowned upon. If I still can't get seeds started in a month or two, I might work up the courage to sneak a small branch x3
  
  I wouldn't bother with seeds tbh. Starting seeds is playing genetic lottery, and you might end up having weak plants.
  I'd use wild occuring ones if I were you. The whole selection game has already been played there for you.
  You can also create a "bandage" and keep it wet. That will cause roots to form there
https://nativeplantspnw.com/red-huckleberry-vaccinium-parvifolium/ has some good detail on post seeding temps for good germination.
- Thank you!

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