The germination technique I used, was placing the seeds in mesh bags, then using a repurposed dishwasher with thermostatic control of water temperature, aerated/soaked them for 24 hours at 86 degrees F. I then removed them and scarified the seed coat for 30 minutes, followed by neutralizing the solution and rinsing them thoroughly. They were then returned to another 24 hrs of soaking, followed by planting immediately into a germination bed, again at 86 degrees F. They were planted 1 centimeter deep. Areas cooler than 86 degrees had a bit of seed decay. Seeds planted too shallow lifted out of the soil. Seeds planted too deep had delayed emergence. Emergence began at 7 days and continued a little over a week.
The seed soaking procedure was used, as the seed was stored, dry seed. This would be unnecessary with fresh seed. Soaking the seed helps to synchronize the germination and subsequent emergence of seedlings.
The water used in the soak was slightly chlorinated to prevent decay. The water was drained and replaced every 6 hours. As the seedlings grew larger and May weather became warmer the bed temperature was dropped to 75 deg. F. The seedlings were field planted on June 12, 2018. By end of September the tallest seedlings were 48" tall. The average was closer to 30" - 36 " tall.