Cold Stratification & Dormant Seeding

Some seeds don’t germinate right away, even under good conditions. Understanding dormancy and how to work with it can greatly improve your planting success, especially with native and wildflower species.

What Is Dormant Seeding?

Dormant seeding is the practice of planting seed in late fall, after temperatures have dropped low enough to prevent germination. The seed remains inactive through the winter and begins growing naturally in the spring when soil temperatures rise and spring showers roll in.

Why Some Seeds Stay Dormant

Many native and perennial species have built-in dormancy, meaning they won’t germinate without a little bit of extra help. This is a natural survival mechanism that prevents seeds from sprouting at the wrong time of year.

Seed analysis tags will often indicate if the seed has been pre stratified.

What Is Cold Stratification?

Cold stratification is a process that helps break seed dormancy. In nature, this happens over winter as seeds are exposed to cold, moist conditions. Once that cycle is complete, the seed is ready to germinate when temperatures warm up.

This is why fall (dormant) seeding can be so effective, it naturally provides the conditions needed for stratification. When initiated manually, stratification mimics what the seed would experience in winter. If a seed species requires stratification, we will store it in the freezer until it’s sold.

How to Know if a Species Requires Stratification

Not all seeds require stratification. If the species you purchased from Wildland Seed requires stratification, it will be noted on your seed tag. These species have been stored in the freezer since they were harvested and cleaned. Upon receipt of these specific species, the seed bags should be kept in the freezer until you’re ready to plant.