How to Germinate Bald Cypress With Artificial Light

Use artificial light to germinate bald cypress seeds indoors.

The bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is a long-lived, coniferous deciduous tree that often grows alongside rivers, streams and creeks in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 10. Bald cypress seeds require plenty of sunlight and warm, consistently moist soil to germinate. If your home landscape lacks the conditions needed for successful bald cypress germination, you can germinate the seeds indoors under artificial light. Bald cypress seeds germinate approximately two to three months after planting.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic zipper bag
• Sphagnum peat moss
• Spray bottle
• Coarse horticultural sand
• Perlite
• Leaf mold
• Planting container, 8- to 10-inch
• Watering can
• Heated germination mat
• Full spectrum, 40-watt grow light

Instructions

1. Place the bald cypress seeds in a plastic zipper bag filled with moist, but not soggy, sphagnum peat moss. Store the seeds in the refrigerator for 90 days to mimic the stratification, or cooling, period they would receive outdoors. Spritz the moss with water from a spray bottle every seven to 10 days to keep it moist.

2. Combine four parts peat moss, three parts coarse horticultural sand, two parts perlite and one part leaf mold to create a well-draining germination medium for the bald cypress seeds. Fill an 8- to 10-inch planting container with the germination medium to within 1 inch of the rim.

3. Apply supplemental irrigation to the germination medium until you see water streaming from the drainage holes in the bottom of the planting container. Wait for the excess water to drain from the container before planting the seeds.

4. Push the stratified bald cypress seeds into the moist germination medium to the depth of 1 inch, but don't cover them completely. Allow 2 to 3 inches of space between each seed. Note that not all of the seeds planted successfully germinate.

5. Place the planting container on a heated germination mat. Set the mat to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

6. Suspend a full spectrum, 40-watt grow light 10 to 12 inches above the rim of the planting container. Provide the seeds with 12 to 14 hours of artificial light per day to encourage germination. Water as often as necessary to keep the germination medium moist, but never soggy.

Tips & Warnings

• Grow bald cypress seedlings in the planting container until they grow to 6 inches. If more than two seeds successfully germinated, remove all but the two strongest seedlings. Cultivate the remaining seedlings in the planting container for a full year before transplanting them to individual containers or garden bed locations.

• Unlike pond cypress, bald cypress seeds do not germinate in standing water. Keep the germination medium evenly moist to prevent the seeds from rotting.

References

• Growing Shrubs and Small Trees in Cold Climates; Debbie Lonnee, et al.
• Life: The Science of Biology; David Sadava
• USDA Forest Service National Seed Laboratory
• Washington State University Extension: Propagating Plants from Seed
• University of Florida Extension: Planting Cypress
• Floridata: Taxodium Distichum (Bald Cypress)

Resources

• Illinois Wildflowers: Bald Cypress
• Gardeners Supply Company: Gardening Under Lights
• Gardeners Supply Company: How to Start Seeds