# sassafras seeds and seedlings



## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i will post this on the barter board too, but since i read requests from posters here, i will post my offer here as well.

i have located a 12 foot tall sassafras tree in my field and it has lots of berries this year. i anticipate having seed (or at least the berries). i remember folks trying to find seed this spring. if anyone is interested, pm me and i will put the names on a list in case the seeds actually produce. there is no way i could guarentee viability of the seeds, but we can all hope for success together, lol.

i also found about a half dozen seedlings about 2 feet high. i would be willing to ship them dry rooted this fall when they go dormant.

prices negotiable and barters accepted.


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## PETSNEGGS (Oct 7, 2005)

Meloc, can you please tell me what type of needs a sassafras tree has? Also ar they fast growers? I am always looking to plant new trees and such. Sometimes it is jsut really hard here due to the rock hard soil and the high temps.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

not really sure. i think they prefer to live in the shade of other trees...partial shade at least. i don't think you would want one standing in the wide open getting full sun all day. i also think they prefer it to be damp. i don't think they would like it hot and dry. i may be wrong though. i have seen big sassafras logs taken from secluded areas. they had to be getting good sun. most of what grows in my neck of the woods lives in the shade of other trees. maybe they just don't have a chance to get big before they are shaded out totally.

sorry i can't give more info.


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## Tricky Grama (Oct 7, 2006)

Where is your 'neck of the woods'?

patty


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

south central pa.


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## Meg Z (Jun 8, 2004)

Here's an article that covers basic habitat requirements...it should help. Sassafras is pretty forgiving.

http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/botany/botcirc/Botcirc19.htm

We like ours enough that we quit mowing around it for a ways, just to allow a 'sassafras grove' to grow up. :baby04: I think everyone should have sassafras! 

Meg


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Protect the little trees from rabbits! The wild bunnies here love them and eat my little trees almost as soon as they get to a visible size.


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## PETSNEGGS (Oct 7, 2005)

Meg thanks so much, how very interesting... Gee I'll have to look and see if I already have any, but Meloc I am still interested, please keep in touch with me about it.


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## greg273 (Aug 5, 2003)

Meloc,

I believe they may have a pretty deep taproot, I tried to transplant a small seedling, and it promptly died. I may be wrong about the taproot, but if I did it over I would dig deeper and get more of the root out.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

my fear is that they are most likely suckers from other trees. my experience has been that they may have small root systems and a big piece of root from the mother plant. if i were to dig and cut them apart this year and baby them for a year, they would probably develop a nice root system. this is one reason i want to wait until they go dormant.


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## RoseGarden (Jun 5, 2005)

Meloc, do you think root pruning would be appropriate? Maybe root prune them now and leave them in the ground to (hopefully) develop a separate root system from the mother root, and then dig out when dormant? I have no clue if it would work, but I read somewhere that was how some trees were prepared for digging while dormant.

As an aside, I knew this old woman from North Carolina and she loved 'sassafrack' tea. That word stuck in my mind and now when I see sassafrass I think 'sassafrack'.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i think it is a bit late in the season to disturb the roots, especially in the heat of summer. if i had found them in the spring, that would have been a good approach. i do that with a few lilacs every year. last year i dug a few lilacs that had very small root systems and a big "common" root. i potted them and they grew for a year in pots. i ended up giving two of them to my mail lady (never hurts to keep the mail lady happy), and when i removed them from the pots and bagged them, i noticed they had awesome roots.


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## homegrownlovin (Jun 18, 2007)

I have dug older sassafras that were fair sized that were still attached some what to the mother plant, it may take quite a while for them to grow seperate root systems, and the sucker to rot off. I have also, many times dug and cut the suckers through in the middle without killing the young plants at the end. The best way to tell if they are sukers is if they run in an almost perfetly straight line from the mother; several plants in a row this way is a good indication. Also if you do cut them apart you will basically be pruning the tree, and it will believe it or not incorage it [them] to grow.


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