Seed pods on Eastern Redbud

[Tap]

Several years ago, I planted redbuds around my property and I noticed that one tree has little seed pods for the 1st time this year.
Educate me on the pods.
Will they drop as a pod?
Are they eaten by deer?
Can I plant them? If so, do they need statified?
Anything else?
Thanks.

 

[Catscratch]

I don't know answers to any of your questions... but I rank redbud up near locust and tree tubes for things I want to do away with on my place.

 

[The Fishman]

From my experience, the little pod will crack open and the seeds will drop out or be eaten by birds. The seeds are tiny, so I doubt they would do much for deer. Deer will browse redbud seedlings and new growth on trees that they can reach. The seeds need to be scarified and stratified. Some people use acid or boiling water for scarification. I tried boiling water one year and had 0% germination on a few hundred seeds. I tried nothing at all but cool, moist stratification and had one seedling grow this year from about 75 seeds. They are great trees for pollinators and birds, but aren't the best for deer.

 

[b116757]

I have redbud all over my home place it’s a nursery tree/shrub and once the canopy starts closing in around them they die but are among the first plants to take over full sun areas particularly an area that’s been scarified.

 

[b116757]

I don’t know how much deer benefit from them but I’m sure pollinators and birds benefit.

 

[T-Max]

I would say given the insane amount of sprouts that pop up under each mature tree on our place that the wildlife aren’t using the pods much. Or if they are they must return to the parent tree to shit the seeds out…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk