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Scotland's Native Trees and Shrubs
Commercial production: from seed
Most commercial crops of native trees are produced from seed. Trees do not produce viable crops of seed every year or even on an entirely predictable cycle. Inducing seed to germinate once harvested also takes time and skill. The process from seed collection to planting out on site can take five years and more. Typically, the seed must be collected from the wild, extracted from the fruit, cleaned and then prepared to simulate the effect of the natural process to induce the seed to germinate. Under natural conditions few seeds germinate as soon as they fall from the parent tree. They may be produced one autumn and then spend one or two winters in a dormant state before germinating. For most species this period of dormancy and low temperatures is actually necessary to prepare the seed for germination. Germination will not take place if this period of dormancy is not allowed to occur naturally or cannot be induced artificially under controlled conditions.
As a result of discussions with the nursery industry Endfield of Wilberfoss have initiated a trial in partnership with the Scottish Executive. The aim is to improve the performance of container grown evergreens. They are growing 3000 holly of Scottish provenance in 'deep-root' 1.3, 1.5 and 2.0 litre capacity containers. The Scottish Executive, for their part, will include the plants in a roadside planting contract and arrange an independent assessment of the performance against holly grown in conventional 2.0 litre pots.
Make a nursery visit a priority. Six people can pot-up 30,000 plants in a 12 hour day with this machine.
Some species do not require long periods of dormancy. Oak, for example, will grow soon after it has ripened. Birch, alder and other light demanding pioneer species require light before they will germinate to ensure that, in the natural state, growth conditions are optimal to give them the best chance of survival. These natural characteristics must be followed in the nursery.
Meticulous records and careful handling are necessary in these early stages to demonstrate the authenticity of provenance. In the event of a buyer conducting an audit these records will be required.
Most commercial crops of native trees and shrubs are produced from seed. Blackthorn from Strath Tummel. Berries ready for collection in November, collected, extracted and cleaned.
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