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The pit, nut, stone or peach seed is the middle part of the peach. In some related plants, such as the almond this seed is edible, however, for most peach trees the pit contains a number of poisonous chemicals for defense including cyanide.

To germinate the peach seed several things need to be done. "Seeds of Woody Plants of North America," by Young, contains a description of some of the techniques for germination. The seeds must not dry out but need air and should not be allowed to rot. In most cases the seed must be exposed to a period of cold but not too cold. One way to do this is to plant the seed outdoors soon after consuming the peach, do not let the seed sit on a counter to dry out! This should be done in a place where rodents will not eat the seed but the seed will receive water and nutrients. Abrasion is also often used to weaken the seed coat. Seeds are often placed in a tumbler with stones to wear away the coat. My wife and I have one wonderful peach tree that simply grew from a canning session where we pitted the peaches at the edge of our garden. Deer, however, also love peaches so some protection is usually needed for the tree if living in the country.

Peaches are a dicotyledonous plant, meaning the seed consists of two halves, two primitive leaves that sustain the growing plant. If your library has the books Hortus I or Hortus II, these have descriptions of simple planting and growing techniques

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16y ago

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