Germinating Ginkgo biloba Seeds

Pre-treatment

Soak the seeds for 24 - 48 hours, soaking time may be reduced if you nick the seed coat along the seam  (but not too deeply).

Stratification

These seeds are long lived but are deeply dormant.  They need a period of warm followed by cool, followed by warm.

Place the soaked seeds in spaghnum moss, or dampened vermiculite, or dampened perlite, or a damp peat/sand mix.  We prefer vermiculite - damp really means damp as, if the soil is too wet they may succumb to mold.

Period 1 - 1 month warm - above 15 C, so anywhere in a centrally heated house.
Period 2 - 2 months cold - in the fridge at 4 - 6 Deg C

Sowing

After stratification is complete, sow the seeds around 2.5 cm deep in a mix of seed raising compost and sharp sand (this should never be builders sand or beach sand as the salinity will kill the seeds).  This mix should be in a 10 cm pot for one seed, larger pots may take more seeds - we recommend 1 seed per pot for when it comes to moving on.

Water the pots, then seal in a plastic bag.  Place the bagged pots outside to germinate, where they can then be left till leaves show.  This can take some time, especially where the stratification process was not effective.  This is just nature taking its course.  Seeds have been known to come up in subsequent years, especially if planted in the open ground.

Potting on

Once the roots show out of the bottom of the pot, move the plant up 2 sizes (so for a 10 cm pot, move to a 13 cm  pot).  Eventually they will reach a size for planting out, which may take a couple of years.  If you are using the seedlings for bonsai, then the height should be 1/3rd more than you want your bonsai to be, to allow for pruning.