(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! ------------------------------------- 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% ------------------------------------- GROWING INSTRUCTIONS **Refrigerate seeds immediately upon arrival! **For best results, sow seeds outdoors in early-Fall in a cold frame with mulch or late-Winter/early Spring in a greenhouse. If sowing indoors... SEED PRETREATMENT: Soak seeds in water for 24 hours. Mix seeds with a moistened grow medium equal to 3-4 times seed volume. Place in a plastic bag, covered tray/cells or container. STRATIFICATION: After soaking seeds, start 30 days warm/moist (20°C), the top of your fridge is a good spot for this. Monitor for mold. Next, 60 days cold/moist (5°C), in your fridge is a good spot for this. Inspect periodically for even moisture and early germination. POST-STRATIFICATION: Sow stratified seeds 1-2” deep, ideally in a peat/perlite mix. GERMINATION: When all previously mentioned requirements are fulfilled, germination generally occurs in 30 days.*How To Stratify Your Tree Seeds*------------------------------------- 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.
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