Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) seeds

$4.95$34.10

Family: Oleaster (Eleagnaceae)

Hardy to Zones 3 to 8

(Seaberry, Sha-ji, Sand Thorn) Dioecious, spiny shrub to small tree. Dioecious means having the male and female reproductive organs borne on separate individuals.  We do suggest to plant in groups of three to help assure that both male and female plants will be present. Native to temperate Europe and Asia.  All zones.  The tree, even when young and bush-like, is excellent in hedgerows and shelterbelts. The fruit juice is loaded with vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants; improves immune response. Oil of seeds is an effective sunblock.  Scarify seeds by rubbing vigorously on sandpaper.  Germination may be enhanced by scarifying, then sowing in cool temps of fall or early spring–we registered rampant germination in 34 days using this technique.  Otherwise give 30 to 60 days of cold, moist refrigeration (put seeds in moist medium in plastic bag and refrigerate, do not freeze), then sow in warm, sandy soil.  Germination is in 3 weeks or so–a dependable and fun germinator.  Space 10 or more feet apart.  Grows to 20 feet tall.

20 seeds per packet
1 g contains ~90 seeds
5 g contains ~450 seeds
10 g contains ~900 seeds

Open Pollinated, Untreated, NO GMO’s

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  1. Question

    Kay

    Greetings Richo,

    Could I infused my dried sea buckthorn berries and leaves in a carrier oil and capture the benefits of the berries’ oils this way?

    Thank you so much for all the opportunities you provide in cultivating such a variety of seeds for us!

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Kay, the oil in the seeds is oil soluble and useful. The dried berries should be ground up thoroughly before extraction, One way to do this without creating a sticky mess is to freeze the berries overnight and grind them still frozen in the blender in the morning. rich0

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  2. Question

    Dan Donley

    Can You keep them pruned down to 15′ in height for harvest? A hedge of them would be nice, I suppose you could let the rest go to the birds to eat.

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  3. Question

    Floyd

    Would this plant be sturdy enough to plant as a hedge for excluding animals such as deer and dogs? What initial spacing? Thanks

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Floyd,
      I do think this would be workable. They are quite upright and spiny. In a case like this, one would plant 4 feet apart, more or less.
      Richo

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    • Joseph

      How do I find out those seed are males or females? Do I need to indicate that I need female seed and male seed? Please advise. Thanks

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    • 2 out of 2 people found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      hi joseph, this is the same conundrum one runs into with growing any dioecious plant from seeds. you can’t sex them until they make flowers. meanwhile grow at least 3 to make sure you have a representative of each sex. they’re going to pan out about 50/50 male/female. r

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  4. Question

    Scot

    I read somewhere that Sea Buckthorn is a very beneficial shrub to interplant in a permaculture food forest. Is it a natural pest repellent or is there something else it does? I can’t find the source I had seen/read previously. Thanks!

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    • 4 out of 4 people found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Scot, Thanks for staying in touch. I do think it would make sense to grow some sea buckthorn in a food forest. Frankly there is nothing about it that is really fantastic about it except for the oil of the seeds, which is difficult for most of us to extract. The seed oil is one of the better herbal sunscreens and is really a high-end salve making ingredient for us herbalists. Beyond that, sea buckthorn are a reasonable helper in the shelterbelt (you don’t have to be close to the sea to grow it)–dioecious, thorny, a good refuge for songbirds, vit c rich beverage if you can sweeeten it somehow, fairly prolific in the fruit production department, source of nectar during very early spring when it is needed by bees, etc. I plant it and encourage others to do so. Richo

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    • One person found this helpful

      Shnate

      I believe that it has popularity in the permaculture world because of the things mentioned above, as well as its ability to fix nitrogen and quick growing habit

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    • One person found this helpful

      tuffy

      Yes
      It’s ability to fix nitrogen without being a legume, is very beneficial. And when added to its evergreen nature, thorny security feature, hardiness, medicinal edible seeds, and browsable forage by livestock, this ends up being a multi-stacking highly functional shrub/tree in a Permaculture garden or forest.

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    • Blain Searle

      How is the hedge doing?

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      great!

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    • Blain Searle

      Awesome, I just planted my first one today and I have four more on order. Got to beat the ban Maine is instating on them in 2024. This state is very authoritive…

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  5. Question

    JD

    Would you please give more detail about planting depth and timing? Eg, for planting in Zone 3, what time of year would be best? Thanks!

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi JD, Plant seeds appx 1/16 inch deep and tamp securely. Scarify seed before planting. Plant in Zone 3 in very early spring–the seeds give better germination in cool soils. In cold zones it makes little sense to start the seeds in the fall–you’d just have to overwinter a seedling and that might not work too well. Richo

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  6. Question

    David

    In the printed catalog, I see a packet of 20 seeds for $3.95. Can we order just a packet? Here the only option is 5g.

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      OK, this is fixed!

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    • fawnnoelle

      Richo,
      Would it work to put seeds in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks then plant. We are in zone 6b so it’s ranging from low 40’s to 50’s at night, not sure if that would be cold enough for seeds to sprout. Thank you, Noelle

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    • 2 out of 2 people found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      hello fawn, refrigerator stratification can help. here, we just planted these outdoors this week. we scarified on sandstone and planted in cool shade. good germination is typical of this lot of this species, please go for it. r

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  7. Question

    Mark Thompson

    What year’s growth are they from?

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  8. Question

    Carole Barber

    Seeds for sea buckthorn- are these female only or combination of male and female? Is there a way to tell?

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    • Richo Cech

      Admin Richo Cech

      They go about 50/50. There is no easy way to tell until they flower. I just completed a planting of these and was very pleased with the germ–scarified and in cool soil, they came up nicely in a week or two.

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  9. Question

    Peter Ryan

    What is the proportion of male and female seeds in a shipment?
    Will you ship to Canada?
    Thank you.

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