Hi, I ordered some japanese maple seeds online. I know i need to cold stratify them for 90 days. If i just sow some of them directly in peat moss and sand and skip the stratification process is there any chance any of them will grow. Thank you very much

Natural stratification works fine. Just sow them outside and nature will take care of it. If you live in a place that gets winter that is.

Are you in the southern hemisphere? If not, hold off sowing till after summer. Else they will germinate mid-to-late summer and will not have enough time to accumulate enough energy to get through winter.

I'm in the northern hemisphere. Thanks so much for the advice, I probably will hold off as you suggested.
Thank you!

leatherback wrote:

Are you in the southern hemisphere? If not, hold off sowing till after summer. Else they will germinate mid-to-late summer and will not have enough time to accumulate enough energy to get through winter.

Hmm. I was under the impression that maples need stratification before germinating and that it cannot happen in summer.

Tropfrog wrote:

Hmm. I was under the impression that maples need stratification before germinating and that it cannot happen in summer.

Well, stratification is part of the sowing process.
And even if the OP does not stratifify the seeds themselves, and just plants the seeds now, let the tray go through winter for natural stratification and then germination, the risk of the seeds falling victim to insects, rodents or fingi over that time is needlessly increased.

Basically, do not sow now, but sow at the right time of the year.