Getting a Seed to Grow From a Mature Tree

Question

Is it possible to make a tree sterile so that it will never produce seeds that one can take from a mature tree to grow another one of the same? I ask because I am trying to do just that, grow a tree from the seeds that it drops/produces. But someone told me that those are hollow seeds and the tree has been made sterile so that one has to go buy that species of tree if you want one, like it’s a marketing thing.

Answer 1

Yes, it’s possible to produce suicide seeds that develop but never produce offspring. But I highly doubt this is the case, as the technology necessary to produce such a plant is very rare. Most often, insects have already eaten the seed before you’ve gotten to it. Continue searching for these seeds, and look into the ways to grow that variety since some seeds need a stratification period where the seed needs to be chilled or frozen for a while before growing.