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Friday - October 02, 2009

From: San Antonio, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Propagation
Title: Propagation of Mexican buckeye from seeds in San Antonio
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I recently collected seeds from a Mexican buckeye. Is it best to plant them now or wait until spring? Do they need to be scarified?

ANSWER:

Ungnadia speciosa (Mexican buckeye) is an 8 to 12 foot deciduous tree, blooms pink March to June and is native to the Bexar County area. Here are the Propagation Instructions for this tree:

Propagation Material: Seeds
Description: Untreated seed will germinate in three weeks. Germination is best in warm soil. Field plant or use deep containers to accomodate a long initial root.
Seed Collection: Gather seed in August through October when capsules turn dark reddish brown and begin to open. Seeds should be shiny black and hard. Remove seeds from pods and air dry a few days before storing in bags or ventilated containers at room temperature. Dusting with an insecticide is recommended.

We believe you could plant the seeds now, since the soil is obviously warm in San Antonio, and not likely to get too cool. The plant can germinate, get some root produced, and with the earth still insulating it, get through the Winter to a warmer season. If you want to plant some insurance seeds, do the seed storage procedure, and plant some more when the soil has warmed up, maybe in early April. They are probably less likely to be stressed from the cold weather of Central Texas than the warmth of Summer.

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