Can I buy pre-stratified seed?

No. We do not pre-treat any germination code C (cold-moist stratification needed) seed before sale and we don’t know of any nurseries that do. Seeds need to be planted immediately once their artificial cold/moist period has ended. Since we don’t know when seeds will sell, we can’t have them ready.

The easiest approach for the individual grower is to follow the natural cycle of the plant. For most native wildflowers, that means sowing seeds outdoors in the late fall/winter/early-spring (sometimes), and let nature take its course by doing the cold/moist stratification for you. Every packet/bulk order of seed comes with a “Germination Codes & Instructions” sheet that gives helpful information for germinating seeds.

Your seed packet may say the seed is “scarified” which can be confused for “stratified”.  Scarification is the scratching of the seed coat.