Ginkgo Biloba Tree Seeds
(Ginkgo biloba) Deciduous. Zones 4-8.
This ancient conifer has been around since the time of the dinosaurs! Ginkgo is the only surviving member of a group of ancient plants that grew on earth 150 million years ago and has been found in fossils dating back 270 million years!
Ginkgo is also known as Maidenhair Tree, as its fan-shaped leaves are similar to the graceful leaflets of the maidenhair fern. The already gorgeous delicately veined leaves transform from light green to a stunning bright yellow in Fall.
The Ginkgo tree can grow up to 100 feet and live for several hundred years! As it ages, the light coloured shallow furrows of the bark turn ashy-grey and deepen into marvelously textured ridges.
Only female trees produce fruit, or ginkgo nuts, which are actually seeds with a fleshy outer seed coat. The embryo inside is used in soups and commonly roasted as a snack in parts of Asia.
** The fruit of the Ginkgo Biloba is incredibly stinky, due to its high butyric acid content - think rancid butter on a hot Summer day... Thankfully, it is only the female tree that produces fruit! You will be able to tell your female trees from male trees in the Spring. With the year's first leaves, male trees have catkin-like cones, similar to a birch tree. **
For the last several hundred years, the Ginkgo persisted thanks to Buddhist monks who planted them as sacred trees on the grounds of monasteries in East Asia. A truly special tree species!
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Cold Hardiness: Zones 4 - 8
Edible: Yes
Size: Medium Tree
Growth Rate: Medium - Slow
Nitrogen Fixer: No
Native Plant: No
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Soil Preference: Tolerates a variety of soils, but thrives in moist loam.
Germination: 50 - 70%
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GROWING INSTRUCTIONS
* It is VERY important that these seeds do not dry out or sit at room temperature. Upon receiving them, refrigerate immediately!".
- Soak Seeds 24 hrs. Follow with 30 days of warm stratification and then with 90 days cold, moist stratification. For more information on stratification, check out our article "How To Stratify Your Tree Seeds".
- Plant stratified seeds in pots or a nursery bed using standard potting soil. Heat mats are NOT required & can hinder germination!
- Protect young tree seedlings from slugs, cutworms & rodents. Slugs especially can eat primary leaves as soon as they come up, so be vigilant!
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Available direct from Incredible Seeds, a Canadian Heirloom and Heritage Seed Company, offering only the best natural, non-GMO, open pollinated and untreated seeds, located in Mi'kma'ki / Nova Scotia.
