[Image description: the very first growth from a Lindera benzoin seed has just emerged]

Here’s a shot of one of the hundreds of seeds I transplanted yesterday. Lindera benzoin is also known as spicebush and is a critical plant for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly

We had them cold stratifying (a process that involves storing at low temperatures to overcome seed dormancy) in a five gallon bucket in a roughly 3 foot/ 1 meter pile of wood chips from the drop we had last year. They were stored in a substrate of aged wood chips, compost, rabbit droppings, and biochar we had soaked in our duck pond by using a recycled onion sack.

They were removed from the bucket and transferred to an air prune box, where we’ll grow them for a year before planting a good portion of them on the property and (fingers crossed) sell the rest to pay for my plant addiction.

  • Edit to show how cool the spicebush swallowtail is
  • The_Sasswagon@beehaw.org
    3·
    9 months ago

    That sounds great, I hope they take well! It sounds like you have a pretty cool setup, ducks, rabbits, biochar all doing their thing.

    I don’t do much seed propagation (yet) but my partner has charged me with taking care of the recently sprouted broccoli, leeks, and checkermallow. Soon I think they are starting potatoes to sprout, and judging by the variety of seeds we’ve got cold stratifying, probably a lot more.

    • LallyLuckFarm@beehaw.orgOPM
      3·
      9 months ago

      Thank you for the well wishes! I’ve got one 5 year old pawpaw that’s started suckering its colony but want more genetic variety for sure. And yeah, lots going on around here that I try to stay on top of.

      Best of luck with all those sprouts, and I encourage you to post about things as they’re developing; I’m always happy to help and there are some other folks on here I consider much better educated about plants than me.

    • LallyLuckFarm@beehaw.orgOPM
      2·
      9 months ago

      Would you be willing to share how you like to use them? I’m planning to give some to family and would like to have a few things they can do with them

      • Remy Rose@lemmy.oneEnglish
        2·
        9 months ago

        Sure! I mostly grind dried parts of them into spice mixes, i.e. seeds, bark, leaves. It’s got kind of a peppery, citrussy, piney flavor. I like it in pancakes, yogurt, curry, tea… lotsa stuff.

        • LallyLuckFarm@beehaw.orgOPM
          2·
          9 months ago

          Rad, thank you! Most of what I’ve seen elsewhere has focused on using the berries so knowing that the other parts can be used as well is awesome

          • Remy Rose@lemmy.oneEnglish
            2·
            9 months ago

            Oh yeah! And what’s even more fun, each part has a slightly different flavor. Even the berries taste different green vs red, with vs without seed, etc. It’s really versatile.