Pre-sowing Treatment Methods for Hawthorn Seeds

Ripe hawthorn seeds can only germinate after undergoing a series of physiological changes under suitable conditions. In addition, the hawthorn seed shell is thick and hard, with abundant gum, small pores, and is not easy to absorb water, swell, or crack. Therefore, its seeds must undergo proper treatment before sowing in order to germinate normally.

1. Stratification treatment:

In autumn, choose a dry place that does not easily accumulate water, dig a soil pit 50-100cm deep and 70-100cm wide, with the length depending on the amount of seed, and spread fine sand 5-10cm thick on the bottom of the pit. Mix 1 part seeds with 5 parts fine sand evenly, add an appropriate amount of water, until it forms a ball when squeezed in the hand and breaks apart when the hand is released. Pour it into the pit, and at 10-15cm from the ground, cover with sand level with the ground, then cover with soil rising above the ground. If the length of the pit exceeds 1m, insert bundles of grass or sorghum stalks at regular intervals for ventilation. Sweep away snow at any time in winter. From May to August of the following year, remove the covering soil, turn it over 2-3 times, check for drying or rot, and take it out in autumn for sowing. It can also be sown in spring of the third year, but it must be sown early to avoid seed rot.

2. Soaking method with alkaline water and human urine:

When seeds are treated by this method, they can emerge immediately after sowing. The specific method is to first sun-dry the seeds for 3-4 days, then soak them in warm alkaline water at 60°C for 24 hours (use 50g of alkali for 500g of seeds), remove them, wash them clean, sun-dry them for 2-3 days, then soak them in fresh human urine for 3-4 days, wash them clean, sun-dry them for 2 hours, and sow once the seed coat cracks, or store them in sand until early spring of the following year before sowing.

3. Alternating cold and hot temperature treatment:

During the “Sanjiu” period, soak the seeds in cold water for about 10 days so they absorb enough water, remove them, spread them in a low-temperature place at a thickness of about 5cm, let the seeds freeze, and after 1-2 days of freezing, place them in hot water at 65°C while stirring constantly, then soak for 1 day. After repeated treatment 3-4 times, most seed shells crack, then mix them evenly with 5 times their volume of wet sand and store until spring of the following year for sowing.

4. Rolling and crushing:

Pour the dry seeds onto a millstone, and while rolling and crushing, sift out the seed coats and debris, then store them in sand until spring of the following year before sowing. When rolling and crushing, the seeds should be spread thicker to avoid crushing the seeds.

5. Hot water scalding:

Pour freshly de-fleshed wet seeds into hot water at 75°C (3 parts boiling water mixed with 1 part cold water, at a temperature of about 75°C), stir constantly, and when the water temperature drops to about 25°C, stop stirring, then soak overnight, remove and store in sand. 20 days before spring sowing of the following year, take out the seeds with sand, pile them in a sunny, wind-sheltered place, cover with a straw curtain, keep the temperature controlled at 17°C-18°C, turn them once a day, and spray a small amount of water; once most seed shells have cracked, they can be sown.