Planting Trees From Seeds

When we think of planting a tree, we often imagine a sapling that’s already several feet tall with a root system ready to be set into the ground. However, even the biggest trees begin as a seed, and in some situations, planting a seed might be the preferable way to establish a new tree. 

We spoke with Ray Major, a retired tree farmer and forester who runs Trees from Seed, a Facebook group that is dedicated to sharing and discussing the techniques for direct seeding of native trees. He shared his wisdom with us on why planting trees from seeds is an important contribution to growing and maintaining canopy cover. 

Choosing a Seed Over a Sapling

Direct seeding, or planting a tree seed in the location where it will grow to maturity, is an option for certain situations and is, in general, complementary to planting young saplings. Ray explained, “Direct seeding isn’t revolutionary, and it won’t displace or replace the nursery industry, but it can help cities and landowners grow as many trees as possible.” 

The main reason to choose a sapling over a seed is the advantage of having a medium-sized tree installed right away, but Ray shared some of the reasons why planting new trees from seed could be an option for some people. These include:

• Ease

• Economy and access

• Tree stability

• Education and participation

Ease

First of all, planting a seed is much easier than a sapling. As Ray explained, “Acorns are light; you’re not going to get a bad back from planting acorns with a hand trowel. This is important because people of all ages, abilities, and gardening experience can plant a seed. It involves minimal labor: no holes are dug, and no heavy root balls or containers are moved. The work of transplanting large nursery stock greatly limits the number of trees that can be planted.” Without the need for power equipment, trucks, or specialized tools, direct seeding is simple and can be done by anyone. In the long term, seeds require less care than saplings do for survival (more on that later).

Economy and Access

Aside from being simple to do, planting trees from seeds can be completely free! It takes time and resources for nurseries to raise the trees that we purchase, but not everyone can afford the cost of a nursery sapling. “Tree seeds are free, abundant, and easily collected by everyone,” Ray told us. “One can easily plant as many trees as they’d like to with no concern for budgets or labor constraints.” 

This has real implications for the number of trees that make up a canopy, not only for residential properties, but for general urban forestry. He explains, “Most cities have fewer trees than desired, creating incomplete canopies, primarily due to the high cost of nursery stock and the available labor to plant and care for trees.” Parks and yards alike can save money on the costs of trees by directly planting seeds, and even redirect those funds toward proper care to see those trees to maturity.

Tree Stability

A tree that was directly seeded will, for its first several years, have more stability and a higher survival rate compared to a transplanted sapling. As an experienced arborist, Ray has seen these differences first-hand. “We have done inventories on the lifecycle performance of seed-grown trees versus saplings given equal care, and the seeds end up having more success in the end,” he said. This is because trees planted as seeds will have a grip on the soil immediately, and their roots won’t be disturbed or ever need to readjust. 

“Trees planted directly won’t suffer transplant shock, they’ll never blow over, deer won’t pull them out of the ground from grazing on their leaves, and they provide shade sooner.” This last point is a compelling one; Ray noted that seeded trees grow faster annually compared to saplings, and after about a decade, the seeded tree will catch up to and surpass the size of a tree that was planted as a sapling.

Education and Participation

“Since a greater portion of the population could be involved in planting them, a far greater number of people would have a vested interest in making sure new trees succeed,” Ray told us. When families plant trees in their yard, kids learn how trees grow, then they grow up together. Not only is it an educational experience for children at home or school, but planting and growing a tree from seed also creates a long-term vision for the environment and an emotional attachment that enhances our life experiences, adding value in comfort and memories.

How Do You Get Seeds for a Tree?

According to Ray, “All the seeds we could possibly want are easily gathered. Street drains and gutters get blocked up by seeds in the spring; they fall in city parks, cemeteries, and old neighborhoods along sidewalks and streets. There’s no need to go into the woods to dig around through the leaves since seeds in our neighborhoods have to be cleared up one way or another.” He pointed out that one of the challenges to overcome is to be able to identify the seed of the tree you want to plant, so while you can find a seed source of many types of native trees easily in the wild, there are plenty of vendors that sell healthy seeds of particular tree species to take the guesswork out of the process.

How to Plant a Tree From Seed

When you plant tree seeds, you don’t scatter or sow them; instead, the seed should be planted right where you want the tree to grow. Many seeds can be planted to ensure growth, favoring the strongest seedling as they sprout to be raised to maturity. The soil doesn’t need much preparation aside from some aeration, since compacted soil isn’t good for growing anything. As long as a seed is able to stretch out a root, it will be able to absorb moisture and sprout into a seedling. The seed doesn’t necessarily need to be buried very deep, since moisture, air, and some light are necessary for the growth to begin, so a light covering of topsoil is all that’s needed to get things going.

Not all seeds are created equal, however, as Ray explained. “Orthodox seeds can be dried, kept for a long period of time, and will grow when planted in moist soil. These include willows, aspens, red maples, elms, and ashes. Other tree seeds are recalcitrant, or unorthodox, like paw paw trees, locust trees, redbuds, and Kentucky coffee trees, which tend to be temperature sensitive and require some physical process to break the shell and overcome dormancy; there is a great variation among species on how that needs to be done.”

How to Grow a Tree From a Seed

Once a seed has been planted, it may need to be protected from being mowed, but otherwise, it will be able to establish itself much more easily and independently than a sapling. Ray suggested that when a seedling comes up, you should “...fence it off so deer don’t eat it and the weed trimmer can’t get to it, with enough space that the mower doesn’t compact the soil around it. Water it, fertilize it, properly prune it, and mulch it as the tree grows—all of the same things you have to do for a transplanted sapling.” 

Seeds for a Healthy Canopy

When you plant a new tree, whether by seed or sapling, it’s an investment in the long-term health of the ecosystem. Trees need to be intentionally planted and cared for to ensure their survival in residential areas, and when they’re well tended to, the benefits are worth the attention. Homeowners and other property managers play an important role in establishing new trees when old ones are lost, and as Ray reminded us, “If you own land, you should improve the soil and grow something useful.” 

Planting shade trees and native species contributes to a healthy canopy, and it doesn’t have to be an expensive or complicated process. An extra amount of patience is required, however, to grow a tree from seed. If you want to get a head-start on the tree growth in your yard, check out the selection of locally sourced saplings available through our tree sale. 

If you want to get involved with the Nashville Tree Conservation Corps’ efforts to support Nashville’s canopy in general, consider volunteering with us. And stay on top of all of the most relevant tree news and information by subscribing to our newsletter!