I accuired some baobab seeds that are being shiped to me. to make a long story short I don't know how I should plant them...my research is not really helping me because they tell me multiple techniques like scarifying, or soaking them over night in warm water to make them germinate in 2-3 days ( does the term germinate mean that it will sprout in that time) and others tell me to stick it in the ground in moist soil...
I am so confused and this is the perfect species for me for where I live cause you can grow this one indoors ( and it looks awesome ) but I don't know how to make them work right and I don't want to mess up because I only have a few seeds and the reality of me geting some more is really slim I got these by luck
so if ne of you know for sure what to do or had expierence with these trees I am all ears ... well actually eyes but none the less I need some serious help
sadly I have no experience with this tree...all I can really say is to try all of the techniques, and see which one works. I'm sure you will ahve plenty of seeds, (they ususally don't sell them in packs of less than 100), so u have plenty to play around with. also, keep in mind not every seed will germinate, so you may want to use multiple seeds for each method of germination.
thats what I am worried about I am only geting around 5-8 cause they are fairly large seeds and pretty hard to acciure seeing as I live in wisconsin and not africa...I wish I lived in africa that would be awesome
but delving even farther into research I found that they have a hard outer casing on the shell of the seed and that it might need to be scarified can some one ezplain what that is? but most refrences I read point to that but its the soakin the seed for a day witch is what bothers me I am not so sure that will work
Scarification is when you do something to make the seed coat weaker or easier for the germinating seed to break through, or make it so that water can get into it. If one of the recommendations is that you soak it over night, it probably is not an impenatrable seed coat (which would mean nothing could get into it until it is nicked or otherwise weakened. Some seeds could be soaked for a year and no water would get through the seed coat). So if you soak it overnight, water will seep in slowly and will kind of wake up the seed to tell it to start growing.. To scarify it, you could use a razorblade or some other sharp object to cut through the seed coat (don't entirely remove it or anything, just make sure it deep and long enough for water to be able to get in). You could also use a nail file (an emery board) and file through the seed coat in one area, again allowing water to get in and wake up the seed. You can also use hydrochloric acid, but that's probably not recommendable for this situation. I would try soaking a couple and try filing a couple.
Femlow gave you good information. Scarification is the process of abrading the seed coat in order to increase water uptake. One minor point that I see differently is that since the whole point of scarification is to facilitate water uptake I see no reason not to both scarify and soak.
I have never seen seeds of this species but look for a seam, (for lack of the proper term), or perhaps the point where the seed was atteched to the fruit and concentrate on this area. There is no point in abrading the body of the seed. Sandpaper can also be used for this purpose.
how far down do I want to make my scaring do I just want it to leave marks on the surface of the seed or really get it in there cause I don't know how to tell
[url]https://www.puc.edu/Faculty/Gilbert_Muth/art0039.jpg[/url] has a decent drawing of the different parts of the seed (its of an acorn, but all seeds are pretty similar). You just want to go through the seed coat. Its hard to say how thick the seed coat will be without having seen them or filed them, but its probably not that thick. Its likely inside the seed coat will be a different color. Its also likely that it will be a different texture as seed coats tend to be more woody. If you are going to file on the hilum (the part where the seed was once connected to the fruit) be careful not to file too much because while it will be easier for the root to come out, you can also damage the radical (the part that will become the root).
If you are worried about it, you can practice with some other seeds first just so you get more aquainted with the anatomy of seeds and feel more comfortable with it. Beans are always cheap and easy (though their seed coats are not very thick at all, and don't actually require filing, you can still pretend). Just use some whole dried beans (that means no split peas or anything) from your cupboard or pick some up at the grocery store. Then you can practice filing, and you can also grow them to see the different parts in action. Use a clear plastic cup or a glass, or even a plastic baggie, stick some damp paper towels in (dirt works too of course, but it can make it harder to see), and then put the bean in between the glass or plastic and the paper towels, so you can still see it through the side. Stick it in a warm window and keep the paper towels damp (not soaking) and within a couple days you will be able to see the cotyledons expand as they soak up water, the radical start to grow and become a real root, and the seed coat come off.
As I said ealier this species is unfamiliar to me so it is hard to tell. More than just superficial marks but not deep enough to damage the interior. Honestly, unless you find someone who has already done this, you are going to have to just play it by ear.
[url=https://www.sabonet.org.za/downloads/36_rare_plants/f.chapter2.3.pdf]Here's a link[/url]to a pdf file which talks a lot about African plants and scarification and the helpfulness of burning some seeds. I just found this site as a result of looking for info on abrading seeds and thought the other link might be helpful if you still have any seeds left.
If the OP happens to revisit this thread [It is nearly eight months old].
Here is another PDF with some good info on Adansonia seed Germination and viability {With proper storage they remain viable for years}.
