Resumo. Dimorphandra mollis Benth. is an important native forest species coming from Cerrado and Caatinga due to its economical and ecological use, what justifies the existence of programs of seedling production. This paper aimed to study the efficient methodology to overcome dormancy in seeds and to evaluate, in natural nursery, the effects of distinct substrates and the fertilization on the initial growth of plants. The following treatments applied: T1 - control (seeds whithout scarification); T2 ¿ manual scarification with sandpaper number 50; T3 - immersion in water at 80 and (T4) at 100ºC; T5 - boil in water at 100ºC for 10, (T6) 30 and (T7) 60 seconds; T8 - chemical scarification with sulfuric acid for 20, (T9) 30 and (T10) 40 minutes. For the seedling production, the experiment was arranged in 4 x 2 factorial, complete randomized design (4 substrates: Tropstrato® pure, and the others: Tropstrato®, coconut fiber and vermiculite with organic compost; without and with fertilization). The best results for overcoming dormancy are obtained with the manual scarification with sandpaper nº50 or boil in water at 100ºC for 10 seconds. The coconut fiber and the vermiculite with organic compost are good substrates for the seedling production of Dimorphandra mollis.