Growing Pine (Pinus) and Spruce (Picea) From Seed

Place the seeds in a glass bowl of lukewarm water and soak for 24 to 48 hours.

Drain the seeds but do not let them dry out completely. Place moist seeds in a zip-loc plastic bag with some sterile substrate (spaghnum moss, peat or vermiculite) and place in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator for 60 to 90 days. Do not allow the seeds to freeze. After the seeds have stratified for 60 to 90 days, remove from the refrigerator.

Alternatively place the seeds in a pot, as below, and place outside somewhere secure where they cannot be accessed by mice or birds and let the winter do the work. In this case sow them in September after the soaking process.

Prepare a potting mixture of 3 parts potting soil, 1 part peat moss, 1 part vermiculite and 1 part sharp sand. Do not use beach sand which may contain salt. Fill 4-inch pots with good drainage with the potting mixture. Place one seed in each pot. Cover the seed with one-quarter inch of potting mixture. Water well. Place in a full sun location, protected from the wind.  Sealing in a ziploc bag will help retain moisture

Keep the soil mixture in the pots uniformly moist. Consistent, even moisture is critical to seed germination. Do not allow the surface of the soil to dry out completely. As seeds germinate and develop, water daily. When seedlings are 8 to 12 inches tall, they are ready for repotting or transplanting to a permanent location.