seems like you have enough duplicates.. open one up .. and LOOK ... and while you are there.. look inside the old ones ...

of course.. they might need stratification .. which they would get .. hanging on the tree all winter .. and then open in spring ... if i am thinking the proper natural timing ...

i dont recommend you get on a ladder for them ... which would leave you a shotgun issue.. and me thinks the neighbors might not approve.. lol

ken

btw .. i saw a few laying in the street last week ... perhaps a wind/rain storm knocked them down .. you could wait for such ... probably safest alternative ... i think those trees are picea abies .... i just ran them over.. not really caring about what was inside ... ken

Thanks ken.

But I'm not interested if the new cones have seeds in them, I'm sure they do and that wasn't the question. Please read the questions first, then answer! lol

I did harvest some of the old cones over a year ago. The were loaded with seeds but none of them germinated. Later, I read that these trees only make cones every 3 to 5 years. So I estimated that the old cones were at least 3 years old. So that may have contributed to the very low germination rate.

30 days since the ladder fall but that's another story. :-)

There may be viable seeds still in those open cones. Cones here that fall to the ground have viable seeds inside.

tj

Thanks for confirming. I thought that may be the case but haven't much experience at collecting cones. I'll keep an eye on them bc in my zone if may be earlier than in some places. I read somewhere that when they turn color to purple or brown, it's okay to pick then, is that true?

just an aside .....i had pinus strobus ..... a long line of them ..... cones hung on them all winter ... and the second day of 70 degree temps in spring ... the clicking started .. i swear i had some plague of clicking bugs ... after a few years ... i realized it was the cones opening ... i attributed the observation.. to moving to the country ... where it was actually quiet enough to hear it ... i think it was actually the finches coming back to town.. that made me understand it was the cones.. and they were feeding on them .. go figure ... i puzzled it out in tree time... lol ...

ive reread your question a half dozen times ... i still dont know what you were asking.. that i didnt answer ... but its all in good fun.. have a great day ....

ken

I think that you want to try to emulate nature as much as possible. If the cones haven't opened to release their seeds, those seeds are not viable. That pretty much holds true with everything that I have ever tried to grow from seed that I have harvested myself (never done it with a conifer, but other woody plants, perennials, etc.)

Thanks Sara!

I just wanted to know at what point they would be developed enough to germinate.

And if I picked the cones green, like in the picture, would the seeds finish ripening inside the cones, so they would germinate later this spring.

The consensus of this thread is no, they will not develop further after removal from the tree. And that you have to wait until the cones have fully developed, before you pick them, or the seeds will not be reliable in germination.

I'm fine with that, hopefully now I'll be more successful now that I wait another month or so.

Reason I asked is, I do not want to be outside, early next March, trudging through possible deep snow and cold, trying to collect cones if I can collect later this fall and keep them inside the garage, until then.

Thanks all who contribute to this thread. :-)

I think you'll be outside in early March, trudging through snow. Stay off ladders, please, though!

I'm wondering though, if you can pick Hemlock cones before they open and put them in a bag to dry, why can't you pick picea cones before they open? What am I missing?