I am going to do the same thing. I would not remove the skin from the berries though. They spread naturally with the berries as is. I would just sow the berries on some lightly disturbed soil, keep alittle moist and wait. I want to add mine to a area where weeds and yard border each other. They are great for fall color and smell.

The flesh/pulp of most fruit/berries contains a germination inhibitor and is usually best removed. Those berries you have found sprouting naturally may have been passed through the digestive tract of a bird, or at the very least, exposed to rains, snow and melts, fluctuating temps to help to break down the protective coating on some - you will likely find better germination from cleaned seed.

"Sassafras albidum: Seeds may be gathered when the fruits turn a dark blue. Seeds should be cleaned and stored at cool temperatures where they will last for up to two years. The seeds require prechilling for 120 days in order to germinate. Easiest - Sow the seeds outdoors in the late fall."
Or, sow 4 months @ 39F (refrigerator), move to 70F for germination.

I didn't realize that the seeds had anything stopping them from germinating when fresh. That is good to know. I see them close together in patches in the wild and didn't realize they need to be "processed" in the digestive tract of an animal first. How would a person copy the process? Soak in vinegar or water? I have bunny poo available if it needs a nitrogen source.

Some seeds 'need' to be passed through the digestive system of a bird or animal, I suspect its more the caustic effect than the nitrogen, (the seed itself contains all the energy and nutrients it needs to germinate and sprout the seed leaves ) - and I don't think sassafras is one that requires it :) Being eaten that is. The main condition needed before they will germinate is the 4 months moist chill.

FYI, the seeds are easier cleaned fresh than being allowed to dry with the pulp on, then later trying to extract seeds from hardened coating. And for those types seed that do need an acid treatment, a vinegar soak can be helpful for some, others would need something as strong as sulfuric acid (but happily rarely for something most of us would be sowing - it's particularly nasty to work with and would destroy most types seeds)

Deno: Seed Germination Theory and Practice:

"SEEDS IN FRUITS OFTEN HAVE CHEMICAL INHIBITORS IN
THE FLESH OF THE FRUIT THAT BLOCK GERMINATION AND MUST BE REMOVED BY WASHING BEFORE GERMINATION WILL TAKE PLACE
(Chapter 8 in part). Usually these chemical inhibitors are water soluble so that soaking in water with daily rinsing for .seven days is sufficient for their removal. Less commonly the inhibitors are oil soluble so that the washings must be conducted with aqueous detergents."

Sassafras are very difficult. I concur they need to go thru the digestive system of birds.

My advice is to scarify them when you're going to sow them (do remove the flesh asap) and simply wait...you probably won't get any germ until year two.

Really, all being said and unless you need a whole bunch of trees, I'd personally recommend you buy one.

Also, Sassafras don't like being transplanted.

Good luck!!

Dax

Thanks for the input everyone!

I only want one or two, but I see a lot of variation in the color around here, even in side by side trees, so I thought I would start several, then select for color.

Alex

The no germination til yr 2 is a bit daunting, but I can try to put it near a bed of annuals or raised bed of veggies In otherb words see if I can successfully grow from seed etc.

The winter-sowing technique is great for tree and shrub seeds, and after cleaning the seeds they can be sowed in covered pots or containers in the fall and put outside and then summarily ignored. In my zone at least, Mother nature will provide all the cold stratification that is needed.

I love Sassafras - it's a primary host plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail, very cool caterpillars. Although I don't have any growing in my yard, it grows in nearby woodlands. Have thought about digging up a sucker and trying to transplant, but heard they rarely survive transplanting.

Seeds:

Don't put them in your garage. Leave them outdoors. Sassafras seeds need a cold stratification period. Which signals winter has happened. They can then germinate when spring arrives. Put them in sand, not soil. Sassafras sees are quite big and aren't nutrient dependent for germinating. Soil can get too water logged - which is a danger with sassafras. So sand is better than soil for germination.

As explained above the recommended cold stratification is 4 months at 4C. This advice is now 120 years old. The period - 4 months - seems rather long to me. More recent research shows it's the process of getting cold - not so much the length of dormancy - which triggers whatever signal Sassafras needs to learn winter is here. I would try a slightly lower temperature ( 0 to 2 C) on a cycle. Something which mimics a winter day. So warmer during the day and colder at night.

Saplings:

If you see any saplings you may want to transplant them instead. To transplant a Sassafras sapling. Look for one about 8 to 24 inches tall. Cut a circular trench around it using a trench spade. Leave it for at least 2 months to allow the roots to recover and grow within the cut area. After 2 months you may transplant - taking as much of the soil as you can from the cut-out - with the tree. Plant in neutral to acid soil pH 5.5 to 7.0. Do not water the leaves. Apart from watering once when planted, you should not need to water again except if you get a drought.

I added the sapling section because it's tricky germinating the seeds.

Above I had posted a comment, 9 years ago, well, I now have a Sassafras tree that a bird sowed for me. I had 2 but, I had to cut 1 down, it was about 5 feet tall. It had been sown by a bird too, BUT, it would eventually be too close to the electrical wires, so, I just kept the 1.

BOTH had been sown in the shade of trees, and BOTH of those trees had to be cut down, so the 1 remaining on will be growing in full sun now.

It seems that they LOVE shade, in the wild that's where you will find them growing. I'm sure they will grow in full sun though.

Maybe the seeds will germinate better in shade?