So many grew at our place in Indiana, we named it Coffetree Bottoms since it was on the edge of the Little River Valley. (We still get to visit this special place since my parents bought it:)
I scarified a batch of KY coffeetree seeds with acid last year and got zero germination, which completely stinks when you are wanting to grow something. After watching some videos we realized my acid scarification didn't work. The seeds look completely different when you crack through their hard exterior - the seed coat - and mine didn't change, but Steve cracked the code! Take a look:
Seeds still in the pods prior to Steve's treatment:
Cleaned seeds ready for knicking through the seed coat, but not into the fertile inside:
Steve's knicking device: a Rockwell oscillating tool with a semi-circular blade:
Inappropriate PPE!
Seeds after knicking and a hot water soak (we did this overnight or until we noticed a change in the seed coat):
Swollen seed ready for planting:
These seeds are almost twice as big as when we harvested them and they feel full of water. We planted all these and got 100% germination!
