Their root is not as big as an acorns and does not stand out as much, if thats what you're asking. You will notice a faint little root jetting from the seed though. The green dots are probably mold btw.

Yup, that's what I was asking. I kinda figured on the mold. My plan is to keep this experiment going for two weeks, see if any sprout that root. I figure if the mold starts to spread I'll just pitch paper towel and use a new one.

Yea, the mold is always a problem for me. Just be careful when peeling the seed off the paper towel. I used the same method and for some reason the paper towel got stuck to the root and it didn't end pretty. Good luck, these are amazing trees.

Usually when I used the paper towel method, I see the first start to germinate after 2-3 days. All you will see is a small root start to poke out. At that time I usually use tweezers to pick up and plant. Most seed germinates within 2 weeks for me. After that whatever is left is usually covered in fungus/mold or isn't going to germinate. I use a fungicide with other seed that have to stratify for months but its not worth it for a few weeks.

I'll be careful removing any that do sprout on the towel. Think I could try more water to separate the sprout from the towel? Ever plant a little bit of towel that wouldn't come off? It might not be as bad as all the burlap some of the local nurseries leave around the bigger trees they plant.

I've ordered a couple small bags of seed from Schumacher. They will send smaller quantities than what is listed on their web site. It's only been about a week but I'm 1 of 57 for the India source ebay seed.

Thanks for the help!

I have never had an issue with the roots sticking to the paper towel and I have done over 100 so far. To me the hardest part is the fact the seeds are so small that they can be hard to handle unless you are using tweezers. As long as the paper towel stays moist and the root isn't long there shouldn't be a problem. It is easiest to plant at the first sign of a root tip. The longer the root, the more to mess up.

I have had good luck with the 80% cut from Schumacher. If you got the trial packet from them you should have plenty to keep you busy.

Do you place your seeds in the sunlight or kinda in a darker place of the room. I know for giant sequoia, they must be kept in the dark to germinate.

I usually keep them by the window but not in direct sunlight.

Yup I got a couple of the trial packs of 80%.

With the damp towel method I have the tupperware container it's in located on a window sill of an east facing window. About half the ebay seeds are on top of the towel, the others in the fold. The ones in the fold have the mold, the ones on top are, well, have nothing going on.

Does anyone know if the paper towel method works for coast redwood seeds? I have a beautiful and young (9 month) old coast redwood tree that I grew from seed. I would love to post a picture, but can never figure out how. Anyway, I would love to find a quick and easy way to get them to germinate. Thanks!

Ryan, don't know about the coast redwood. However I usually post my pictures using a website called Photobucket. You can use Flickr also.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photobucket

I use the paper towel method to germinate all of my tree seed. You need to know if the seed needs cold stratification, how long etc. For any seed that will be in the container for more than a week or two, I use Captan (small amount) to control the fungus.

I don't fold the paper towel over the seed. This way I can just open the container, look and see if anything has germinated and close it up with out having to disturb anything. This might also help prevent any issues with the root sticking to the paper towel.

Thats right, I didn't think about Photobucket, duh. Thank you. I made an account. I posted my pictures of my redwoods if you want to take a gander.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ryans Redwoods

Ryan, maybe it's something I'm doing or has to do with my account, but I get a screen that says your photobucket is private.

Thats interesting. I'll see if I can change that. My bad.

I've seen ltruett's DRs in person and I'd have to say that paper towel method works pretty good. I haven't tried that with DR but I did with other seeds and it works well. I much prefer it as it cuts down wasted materials and space when you have limited budget and space. You just have to read Norman Deno's work to understand how it works. It is a bit different for sure.