How to Plant Berries of Wild Dogwood Trees

Wild dogwood trees produce berries after flowering.

Flowering dogwood, Cornus florida, is a small, deciduous tree native to the southeastern U.S. It produces white or pink blossoms in the spring, has lush green foliage in summer and provides winter interest. Dogwood trees are disease-resistant, drought-tolerant, low-maintenance and adaptable to most soil conditions. Its attributes make it a favorite specimen tree in country gardens and urban landscapes. Dogwood trees grow to a mature height of 25 to 30 feet and often are just as wide. You can propagate dogwood trees by harvesting and planting the berries, or seeds, that fall in autumn.

Things You'll Need

• 5-gallon bucket
• Toothbrush
• Potting soil
• Peat moss
• Sand
• Growing trays or small flower pots

Instructions

Harvesting & Pretreating

1. Gather dogwood seeds in the fall after they have fully formed, matured and drop from the tree. Dogwood berries begin to grow as soon as the flowers fade. Turning red, the berries continue maturing during the summer. If picked too soon, the embryo inside the berry will not be fully formed and the seed won't sprout.

2. Soften the exterior coating of the seeds by soaking them in a 5-gallon bucket of water for seven to 10 days.

3. Squeeze each seed while it is still in the water. The seed will pop out of the pulp.

4. Add water slowly to the bucket, allowing it to overflow. The pulp will rise to the top and flow out of the bucket. Viable seeds will sink and remain in the bottom of the bucket.

5. Add more water, making sure all pulp is removed from each seed. Continue adding water until you have nothing but clean seeds remaining in the bottom of the bucket. Scrub the remaining seeds with an old toothbrush to remove any remaining pulp.

6. Drain the water. Spread the seeds out on paper towels or newspaper to dry. Store the dry seeds in a cool, dry place. If you plan to plant the seeds the following spring, you must pretreat them before they will germinate.

7. Choose a planting date in the spring when you feel assured there will be no danger from frost. Count 210 days backward from that date, using a calender, to determine when to start the pretreatment process. For instance, if you plan to plant May 15, begin the pretreatment process on October 15.

8. Place the seeds in a container with a mixture of equal parts of moist sand and peat moss. Cover them loosely and store them at room temperature for 105 days.

9. Move the seeds to the refrigerator and store them there for the remaining 105 days. When seeds have sprouted, they are ready for planting.

Planting

1. Prepare a mixture of equal parts potting soil, sand and peat moss. Fill growing trays or small pots with the mixture. Place one seed in each pot or tray section. Cover the seeds with 1/4 inch of the potting mixture.

2. Water well. Keep the soil moist, but not saturated. Place the potted seeds in a humid, warm location with filtered sunlight. Do not put them in direct sun or allow them to dry out.

3. Remove the dogwood seedlings from the pots or trays when they have developed 3 to 4 inches of new growth. Plant them in a sunny, well-drained location in the landscape.

Tips & Warnings

• Fence your seedlings or cover them with chicken wire to prevent deer from munching on the new growth.

References

• FAO Corporate Document Repository: Handling Tree Seeds
• USDA Forest Service: National Seed Laboratory
• the Angelgrove Tree Seed Company: Seed Germination Guidelines

Resources

• Floridata: Cornus Florida