planting birch seeds Silver Birch | Betula Pendula | 500+ Seeds

INSTRUCTIONS - TO SAVE PAPER I NO LONGER SEND OUT WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS TO CUSTOMERS. INSTRUCTIONS ARE BELOW SO PLEASE BOOKMARK THIS PAGE. 

Silver Birch is very useful in "re-wilding" any piece of land - as we did with our own experiment! Fencing off a section of our field from livestock and deer, naturally self-seeded Silver Birch was the first tree species to poke up though the gorse and brambles and within 15 years we has a small wood of Silver Bark. It is a relatively short-lived tree  - it wont be here in 100 years time, but then neither will any of us! Its relatively short life allows other slower growing UK natives - Oak, Ash etc to get established and eventually take over many years down the line!

Silver Birch seeds require a short period of "cold stratification" to replicate nature's way of stopping seedlings sprouting in the middle of winter. 

• Soak seeds in water for 24 hours. 
• Drain away the water and place the seeds in a zip-lock freezer bag. 
• Place the seeds in the fridge
• After 4-6 weeks the seeds are ready to be sown.
• Fill seed tray or pot that has drainage holes with a good quality compost - ideally a mix of  50% regular compost, 50% vermiculite (which I sell in the Accessories section of my eBay shop) 
• Sow the seeds on the surface (mixing seed with dry sand helps stop seeds "clumping together" and sticking to your hand!)
• Cover the seeds with a couple of millimetres of vermiculite a fine layer of sieved compost
• Gently water and keep them at room temperature. 
• Ensure compost does not dry out - best have in a tray and water from the bottom so water soaks up
• Germination will begin from a few weeks following sowing.
• The seedlings are very small and delicate, they need to be kept out of hot sun until the first true leaves emerge. 
• Shading and a moist seedbed are very important for successful germination.