- 1). Pick elderberry fruits when ripe. Remove the elderberry fruits from the stems. Place the fruits in a food processor. Puree the fruit, adding water, as needed to make a slurry.
- 2). Pour the pureed fruit into a 1-gallon bucket. Place the bucket in a sink under the faucet. Fill the bucket with water to the brim slowly. Stir the mixture gently. Allow the mixture to separate, with the viable seeds sinking to the bottom.
- 3). Pour off the waste that's at the top of the bucket. Fill the bucket again with water and stir the mixture. Repeat this process until all the waste material is removed from the water. Drain the water off the seeds. Spread the seeds on several sheets of newspaper. Allow the seeds to dry for up to four days.
- 4). Combine the seeds with a moistened mixture of equal amounts of coarse sand, fine peat moss and vermiculite in the 1-gallon bucket. Pour the mixture into a zip-top plastic bag. Label the bag and set the bag in a dark and warm place at a temperature of between 70 and 85 degrees F for two months.
- 5). Remove the bag of seed mixture after that time and refrigerate it for three months at a temperature of around 40 degrees F.
- 6). Remove the seed mixture after that time. Fill a seed tray with a high-quality potting soil almost to the top of each cell in the tray.
- 7). Place a 1/4-inch layer of the seed mixture on top of the potting soil. Water the cells of the seed tray, gently, so they are moist. Place the seed tray in a clear plastic bag. Seal the bag with a rubber band. Place the tray in a warm and well-lit area.
- 8). Remove the tray from the bag when the first seedlings appear. Thin the seedlings to one plant per cell in the tray. When each seedling has two or three leaves on it, transplant them to 3-inch grow-out pots filled with potting soil.
- 9). Place the seedlings outside in a shaded and protected area to harden off and grow for one full season. Transplant the elderberry saplings to their permanent location after this time.
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