Those would make great pear bushes and are graft compatable.
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Did you do anything to the seeds to get them ready to germinate?
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i just kept them in a small container in water for a few months, in the fridge.
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I saw a video saying to change the water daily. That’s too much trouble. Did you ever change the water? Did you add anything to the water?
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at first I changed the water a couple times, every 2 weeks or so, because I think there was enough nutrients to cause some bacterial growth. When I would change the water I would strain the seeds out and them dump them on a paper towel and fold it in half and kinda rub the seeds a bit to get any slime off of them that had formed. I also used tap water that has some cloramine in it which should help keep bacteria away. After I did that a couple times I just left them until I took them out and planted them. I only planted about half the seeds I had and I checked the remaining seeds a couple days ago and some are starting to sprout in the water now, but I have more of this variety of aronia than I need so they will probably go to waste.
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Your are much better than me at this. So far after 3 weeks 0 seeds that where stratified in water have germinated. Some were refrigerated in seed starting mixture and they germinated but they were so week that I lost most of them to wind and rain. I should have kept them inside under lights.
This tiny one is just coming up:
and this one has such a thin stem that I added some sand to hold it up:
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They are tiny seeds, seedlings are delicate. Ive got seedlings going of the varieties I got from that govt seed warehouse now, seem to be doing well but they were started late, only 1 more month or so till we start getting frosts so Im not sure how they will do through the winter, might need to keep them in a cool area of my heated garage once they are dormant, ND winters outside can be a bitch! Ill post pics soon for those interested.
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I should have 2 more months before frost. I’ll definitely will keep them in my unheated garage this winter.
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do you see a significant difference between the viking and mckenzie aronia, fruit wise? still have hardwood cuttings available? do you have experience rooting hardwood aronia?
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Did you have success with the Ames 30007 or PI 662003 seeds? My seedlings died from lack of water except for one. It should fruit this year.
Viking in my opinion are superior to Mckenzie in production. The taste is nearly identical. The story I was told was the Russian cultivars like viking had sterile seed. I’ve never wanted to expand my aronia production my fields are very large totalling nearly 3 acres. My friend Harlan propagated them many times from cuttings which is where mine came from. My field of aronia was anted in 2001 from 2" liners and have had no issues. No spray has been used. https://www.greenhousegrower.com/home/the-industry-remembers-harlan-hamernik/
Harlan ran HH wild plum as well which a smaller nursery he frequently sold me plants from. Once in awhile they sent me experimental plants as well. The man was an Agriculture genius he was 76 when he died.
H H Wild Plum Business, 523 Pine Street, Clarkson, NE – Agriculture Real Estate for Sale & Land Auctions
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I’ll have to check them this spring, we had a pretty severe drought last summer and they weren’t high on my list of plants to keep alive…
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id buy some viking cuttings from you if you have time to collect and ship them.
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Let me see how it goes this year. If I’m feeling up to collecting cuttings this year no problem. @danzeb are those viking by chance you have for trade that you cut @TheDerek is looking for some? https://growingfruit.org/t/apple-and-pear-scion-wanted/42072
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No, Mckenzie.
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The story I was told is that seedlings of Viking and Nero are clones, through a process or condition I’d never heard of and can’t adequately explain. And that they aren’t actually aronia melanocarpa.
Ah, I think I found something via Google search: × Sorbaronia mitschurinii - Wikipedia
“Results from the hybridizations indicate tetraploid Aronia produces seed
apogamously and cannot be used as a maternal parent in crosses.”
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I wish all of the nurseries selling Viking would list it as Sorbaronia mitschurinii instead of Aronia melanocarpa to just emphasize the difference.
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Murky Thanks about the info of apogamy and that aronia
, but I think Botany Dictionary explains it better
I wasn’t aware that was the case with Aronia
(EDIT oh will check out that (UCONN) paper in the coming week looks interesting.)
(quote from botany Dictionary )
http://www.botanydictionary.org/apogamy.html
The development of the spo-rophyte directly from the gametophyte, without the formation of gametes. The resulting sporophyte therefore has the same chromosome number as the gametophyte. Although there is no nuclear alternation between the generations the morphological differences persist. The phenomenon is seen in certain ferns, fungi, and algae. If male gametes are produced they are redundant although they have been shown to be capable of functioning in certain species. For example, the male fern (Dryopteris borreri) produces antherozoids that can fertilize the female gametes of related ferns. Apogamy often occurs when the gametophyte has been produced by *apospory . It may also be induced by ageing or chemical agents. The term may also refer to the development of an unreduced diploid cell of the embryo sac into an embryo without fertilization occurring (i.e. parthenogenesis).