Elderberry

Elderberry Collection (50 American Black • 50 Red • 25 Blue) We’ve had an enormous amount of requests for an elderberry package and we listened. Here’s all 3 elderberry seeds at a slight discount than buying individually. Elderberry Collection (50 American Black • 50 Red • 50 Blue) •Bee Friendly•Butterfly Friendly•Hummingbird Friendly•Cross pollinating different elderberry shrubs can increase fruit yield. Description:Links to individual pages… 50 American Black – https://www.ebay.com/itm/333614047333 50 Blue – https://www.ebay.com/itm/333634654968 50 Red – https://www.ebay.com/itm/333634656514 Culinary Properties:Elderberries are considered minor fruits, in comparison to blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Although raw blue and purple elderberries are bitter and unpleasant tasting if eaten raw, and contain alkaloids that may cause nausea, they can be cooked or processed to make jams, jellies, wine, pies, flavored vinegars and teas. Uses for elderberry syrup include as a homemade soda base, a mixer for cocktails, an immune system booster, a base for elderberry ice cream, as a garnish for other ice creams, or as a glaze for poultry. Elderberry syrup is also great in a classic Cumberland sauce. Red elderberries must be cooked before eaten. Medicinal Properties:Elderberries are clinically proven to boost your immune system and are extremely useful for fighting the flu. It contains compounds that keep the flu virus from attaching to the cell, so it can shorten the duration of your illness and possibly lessen the severity. Planting Instructions:OUTDOORS: By far the easiest method is to direct sow outdoors in the fall and let Mother Nature do it’s thing over the winter to break the dormancy. Sow at 1/4″ depth, 10 feet apart, and 3-4 seeds per plant. Keep moist, but not wet. INDOORS: Starting inside, elderberry is a long term, multiple stage process that needs BOTH scarification (soaking) and stratification (warm/cold treatment) to break the dormancy. Basically, we’re trying to replicate what occurs naturally in nature. It’s a long process, but one that we find is extremely rewarding. Elderberry is finicky and it’s such a gratifying feeling when you first see seedlings pop up. This paper is an excellent source to compare techniques and germination rates… https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/mipmcrj11674.pdf Germination rates vary wildly depending on technique from 5% with no seed prep to this technique which achieves roughly a 73% germination rate which is quite high for Elderberry. We highly recommend it. STAGE 1 – SCARIFICATIONThe fastest method is to soak the seeds in sulfuric acid for 10 mins and then thoroughly rinse. The seeds are then ready for Stage 2. The slower, but safer and easier method is to soak the seeds in HOT (175F) water for 10 minutes, allow to cool and continue to soak at room temperature for 24 hours. STAGE 2 – WARM STRATIFICATIONAfter the soaking (scarification), the seeds will need a warm period. Place the seeds into a plastic bag with moist peat moss and place it into a warmer area of roughly 72-75° for 60 days occasionally checking to ensure the moss remains damp. STAGE 3 – COLD STRATIFICATIONAfter the warm stratification, we will move to a cold period to break the dormancy. Place the damp peat moss seed bag into the refrigerator for 60 days occasionally checking to make sure moss remains damp. Here’s a link to a video demonstrating the cold stratification technique… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2XVXBqSWaI STAGE 4 – FINALLY READY TO SOWAfter that process (I know it’s long), sow seeds at 3-4 seeds per pot at 1/4″ depth with pH 5.2 to 5.14 mix and put pots in a warm, sunny area. Water regularly to ensure the soil is moist, but not wet. Allow 45 days to germinate. STAGE 5 – TRANSPLANTThe seedlings can be transplanted when they are a few inches tall. Shipping:All orders come in a resealable plastic zip lock bag labeled with growing instructions. If stored properly, your seeds can last for years. All seeds have been tested to ensure the highest germination rate possible. Our seeds have no weeds or fillers mixed in. You will get 100% of the seed you ordered. We do our absolute best to get all orders placed before 4pm out that day. Orders placed after 4pm will ship the following day. If you have any questions, please contact us at any time. Orders are shipped USPS economy mail and orders over $15 are automatically upgraded to free Priority Mail with tracking. ***These products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and therefore we cannot claim to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. All information on our site is provided for educational purposes only.