Ginkgo Biloba Seeds - getting them to germinate?

According to my book on propagation, "as long as seed has been harvested the previous autumn and stored under the correct conditions, it will germinate rapidly if sown under glass at at temperature of 18C in early spring.....if seed is a year or more old, germination may be extremely poor". Hope this helps

It's been a long time since I read this but I thought that ginkgo seed was rare because the ginkgo fruit is stinking. That ginkgo seedlings were sexed and that you had to have a male and female plant to get seed. For that reason nurserymen usually sold the male plant only.
As most people didn't want the stinky fruit produced by the female in the confines of the backgarden. You might bear that in mind if/when your seeds germinate
Good Luck..

Hi Hazel.
Question - Why do you want to grow this tree? No right or wrong answer, I'm just curious.

Maple, I want to grow the tree as have seen it growing elsewhere looking gorgeous! I know its an unusual and very ancient tree and my other half says its his favourite tree. He doesn't usually express an opinion when it comes to gardening so thats a major breakthrough!

Had forgotten that bit about male/female trees though,Lori, will try to sex any seedlings that come through!!! Not sure exactly how at this point...Do they look different in any other way except for fruit bearing or not?

Thanks for your help, Andrewr, I'll just pop a few seeds in a pot and get them in a temp of about 18 degrees then. I will let you know what happens!

Thanks for the answer Hazel and glad to hear the other half is taking an interest. ;o )
Was also glad to read you have a large plot as these are huge trees! 66-115 ft. Good luck with it

Maybe not THAT large a plot...gulp! Do they take well to pruning?!

Here's what a herbal catalogue has to say about Gingko...Quote:
"Gingko biloba (Maidenhair Tree) An extremely hardy tree, resistant to pollution and disease. Very attractive fan-shaped foliage. In the West, the male tree is preferred because the female produces a foul-smelling fruit. However, the fruit contains a delicious nut which is a delicacy in China roasted or added to rice dishes. Medicinally, ginkgo is rapidly gaining a reputation as a brain tonic. According to recent European studies, the leaf extract increases blood supply to the brain and improves neural functioning and memory. Seeds take 3 to 12 months to germinate." Unquote.

Gingko is indeed a beautiful tree. Some interesting facts: it is classed as a 'deciduous conifer' - one of only (I believe) 3 species (the other two being larch and Taxodium distichum (bog cypress)). It originates in the far east and I'm told that it is extinct in the wild and now only exists domestically. It is an extremely ancient tree and is considered a sort of missing link (tho not missing!) between the very primative early fern-like plants and modern broadleaved trees - dinosaurs used to feed on Gingko leaves. My final interesting fact - last year Hereford Council planted 8 of them in the Eign Gate shopping precinct - they've done something right at last!! So there! Enjoy!

Thank you Lori, some brillant facts! What a fantastic tree the Ginkgo is, even if its taken me years to finally learn to spell it properly!
Sid, I didnt realise Ginko was one of only three deciduous conifers. A friend has three swamp cypresses alongside a farm pond. They are really beautiful things. I read on the net, while searching for propogation info, that ginkgo seeds like being scratched before planting with a sharp knife or sandpaper-the site said this emulated the action of the dinosaurs stomach on the ginko seeds that started them germinating all that time ago!

There you go then - you need to find a dinosaur and get him to chomp on your seeds for a bit - then they will grow!