ChrisM

matt, it is my belief (untested of course since i have lived here all my life) that the length of the stratifying depends on the climate you are bringing the trees into. here in new england, we get a good five months of winter, most of which has been bitter cold (teens or less) the past few years. just a theory, but since your winter temp's don't get nearly as low on a regular basis, maybe you could do it in less time, but only if the dormant period out there isn't as long. my trees usually go dormant by early november and show no signs of coming out til somewhere in march. so i like to give my seeds half of that in a controlled environment (fridge) then into the shed where they can be potted and still expierience the chilly, early spring weather before completely moving outside after the last frost. maybe some of the guys from your side of the country can give more help on this.

chris

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