ASA Paper

November/December 2005

Planting Buckeyes

by Dean Slates

From the number of buckeyes (I see) that are made into necklaces and all sorts of Ohio State University adornments, I’m amazed that there are any buckeye seeds left over for natural reseeding of the species or seeding by folks who want a buckeye tree. If you want to plant seeds from an Ohio Buckeye tree, timing is important.

Native Ohio buckeyes are often found in lowland areas, along creeks and rivers. If you are interested in germinating seed and starting plants, note that collected seed degenerates quickly. If seeds show ridges and furrows shortly after collecting, drying is proceeding too fast, and viability may be reduced. The seeds require a cold period before they will germinate, so planting them in the ground after collecting them in the fall would be ideal. Plant the seeds two to two and a half inches deep (an inch of soil over the seed). Other wise, store seed in a refrigerator at about 34-38 degrees F with high humidity for three to four months then plant the following spring.