feeding cherries to chickens to promote germination

[Ridgerunner]

Just out of curiosity, do you think it would help get a root to send up a shoot if you cut a root in place a bit away from the tree and leave the end of the root exposed to the air? I'm thinking the well-established root might send up a bud that could be tranplanted in a year or so. That way you get a clone of whatever the root is.

 

[exop]

I had a bunch of chickens last year that were eating fallen wild cherries with relish... including some chicks in the 5-8 week old range. Wild cherries are smaller than the domestic species - pits probably around 1/4 inch in size. Anyway, I was concerned about digestion and possible adverse effects, kept an eye on the poop. No pits seemed to make it out the other end, poop was full of some sort of finely ground up mealy gritty matter and may also have been stained purplish... I can't remember for sure but am pretty certain I had a good reason for identifying it as "cherry poop".

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
If they are trees that where grown seed and not a grafted tree that might work. The other method that I would try is Air Layering and it might work a little better than trying to grow a tree from seed.

Chris

 

[fishnet1971]

Mine just got a bag of old cherries this am. I will let ya know what happens when they come out. lol...

 

[Kassaundra]

Quote:
Wow that is seriously wanting cherry trees!!!!!!!!! I absolutlely love cherries, but have to say if that were the only way to get cherry trees, I wouldn't have any.

As for the chickens, all the rocks they eat for grit never (that I have seen anyway) get pooped out whole, so I would think it would be similar w/ the cherry pits, but that is just a guess, no proof or science behind it.

Good luck after all that I really hope you get your cherry trees, you deserve them!!!!!!

 

[chickmashnoon]

That's dedication! If you are willing to digest and pick it out yourself, why not just plant the whole mess that comes out- cherrypits, human fertilizer, and all! and mark the spot to see if you get any sprouts next spring. leaving it outside you would get your chemical scarification and stratifying all at the same time. however, as a previous poster noted, cherries do not always breed tru to type so if you want that same type of tree/bush you'd be better off to starta ccutting with some rooting hormone or graft to another seedling.

I guess your method would mimic nature most closely, but might not be the easiest or fastest.