Which End of a Hickory Seed Germinates From

[Barkslip]

The opposite side the seed is attached to any tree is the side that splits open to send out (a) radicle during germination.

Here you see the Shellbark hickory cultivar Henry splitting open and ready to grow. Another thing about seeds is which way to plant, well, the answer is to plant the seed how it would lay naturally on the ground after falling.

You might consider:

keeping your seeds in a handy cooler with ice water to carry easily and keeping seeds from over heating. It’s really convenient. Grafts you carry around in buckets of ice-alone which are bareroot to plant quickly within the field.

One more tid-bit, Should you prune your hardwoods between the Vernal Equinox, you automatically open them to vectors, pests, insect/disease. It’s impractical for most anyone, however, all pruning should be completed after Sept. 21st and before March 21st.

[Fusion_power]

Greenwood tip pruning is both acceptable and necessary for pecan and walnut trees. This is basically removing the growing tip from a branch that is to be suppressed from growing further. Bill Reid does a good job explaining how and when on his blog. http://northernpecans.blogspot.com/

[TNHunter]

Mockernut hickory nut found last fall… I foraged some late fall Nov, Dec… and found some sprouting already. The nut basically splits in half and the root comes out the pointy end of the nut (opposite where it attaches to the tree).