2019 From seed

[AlainK]

Don't know yet what maple species these are : I visited an arboretum last November, and collected seeds that I put in different pockets but I didn't label them (had no pen, can you imagine!).

They are not Acer palmatum, they could be A. caesium (no good for bonsai), A. griseum (NGFB), A. cappadocicum (NGFB), A. davidii (NGFB).

When I say "No Good For Bonsai"; it's not to deter anyone to try : but I still think it's better to use species with small, non-compound leaves

But as "patio plants", and even "niwaki-like", it's great to have many maples (*).

=> =>

(*)" Compulsive hoarding" of a kind
French: " Syllogomanie"
Deutsch: "Messie-Syndrom"
Nederlands : "Verzamelstoornis"
etc.

 

[ThirdCoastBorn]

I finally finished transplanting all the seedlings from my first Rootmaker tray that was started (too) early & indoors -- mostly Crape Myrtles, a few Austrian pines, olives, quinces, and Siberian elms. I'll be writing a separate post on my observations from using the RM; a few important things I'll do differently with the next batch, but overall I was pretty pleased with the results. Rootmaker recommends moving to a 1 gallon pot, but that seemed too large for me so I experimented with a few different sizes/materials/designs -- the tan ones most of the Crapes went to is ~2 quarts which seemed like a good compromise. I expect that I'll keep most in these sized pots for the season or longer, as I simply won't have the space to up-pot ALL of them as they grow. Not with another 20 seedlings with about a week to go in the other Rootmaker and a whole other batch waiting to be transplanted into this one once I clean & sanitize it!

 

[Dan92119]

Just curious because I haven’t been able to find an answer online. I have Zelkova seed that I planted in jiffy peat things. They have been in for 3 weeks....no growth yet. How long should it take before they start growing? They were stratified for 60 days in the fridge. Sheffield’s shows 98% germination rate. They are on a heat mat at 75 degrees.
Thanks!

 

[atlarsenal]

Just curious because I haven’t been able to find an answer online. I have Zelkova seed that I planted in jiffy peat things. They have been in for 3 weeks....no growth yet. How long should it take before they start growing? They were stratified for 60 days in the fridge. Sheffield’s shows 98% germination rate. They are on a heat mat at 75 degrees.
Thanks!

Probably something wrong. I have Zelkova’s from Sheffield, 60 day strat. and they were up in 10 days. Were any of your seeds sprouting out of the fridge? What temp was your fridge?

 

[Dan92119]

None of the seeds were growing in the fridge. The temp of the fridge is 38 degrees. I have Shore pine that’s growing great. JBP not growing so well. First time I have tried Zelkova so not sure what to expect.

 

[leatherback]

Not wanting to tell you how to suck eggs, but.. You did do the stratification wet, right? So not the dry seedpacked in the fridge?

 

[Dan92119]

Not wanting to tell you how to suck eggs, but.. You did do the stratification wet, right? So not the dry seedpacked in the fridge?

Lol. Yes wet stratification.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Seedling update for spring 2019.



The last remaining Alder of the seeds that i germinated... this one looks like it will survive. I have one other still living but very weak and i dont want to transplant it in such a state.



Pitch pine seedlings all came up this week. These are from seeds I collected in upstate NY at two different locations. Going to transplant them into individual pots soon... just want them to strengthen slightly. Will try root cutting on a few.



A number of Acer Palmatum plucked from my front yard. Going to start fertilizing these pretty soon with a slow release. I want to get them growing strong for the summer.



Two different types of crabapple. I had a near 100% germination on these seeds so im only keeping 10 or so of each type...



If anyone is in NJ and wants some free seedlings, let me know.



Lastly, and im excited about these, are osage orange seedlings that are starting to come up. Seeds collected from the fruit which I carried out of Allaire State Park... the brain-esque fruit was laying on the ground.

 

[Shibui]

Lastly, and im excited about these, are osage orange seedlings that are starting to come up

Nasty spiky trees. Does not seem to ramify well and long internodes so don't seem to be good for bonsai. I have some growing in the garden with a view to possible bow making and wood turning in future - lovely wood.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Nasty spiky trees. Does not seem to ramify well and long internodes so don't seem to be good for bonsai. I have some growing in the garden with a view to possible bow making and wood turning in future - lovely wood.

There are a few out there that look very nice as bonsai. I like spikes!

 

[Cajunrider]

Collected a handful of bald cypress seeds in December 2018. Tossed them in an old salad tub with a 50/50 mix of NAPA 8822 and pine bark. They sprouted 2 weeks ago and today I transplanted them into small containers. I cut the taproots of three of them.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

I have tons of those salad containers... never thought to use them for seeds. Great idea.

 

[BonsaiNaga13]

Collected a handful of bald cypress seeds in December 2018. Tossed them in an old salad tub with a 50/50 mix of NAPA 8822 and pine bark. They sprouted 2 weeks ago and today I transplanted them into small containers. I cut the taproots of three of them.

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If they grow anything like mine did last year they'll need transplanting again in a few months

 

[moke]

Finished lots of seed planting in the last three days.
Bigtoothed maple
Jezo spruce
Dawn redwood
Scots pine
Pinyon pine
Trident maple
Gamble oak
Unknown? Oak
Ginkgo
Manchuria apricot
Huangshan pine
Bristlecone pine.
That should be enough for this season : )

 

[Farwest]

I’ve had these chillin’ since Feb. and the clouds parted enough to sow them 2 weeks ago. So far the huangshan pines are the only ones popping. Can’t wait to get my huangshan on! I also planted 4lbs. of cork oak acorns in November and about half of them popped about three inches in the last week. Pictures this weekend!

 

[BonsaiNaga13]

I rescently dug up a bunch of sweetgum seedlings from the yard. Considering a forest planting when they mature

 

[eryk2kartman]

Ive sort of not much luck with my seeds so far, i planted hundreds but only few germinated. I dont understand why.
Some of the seeds i was taking out of the fridge had shells opened and roots forming but they never germinated in the soil, maybe 1 for 6 of them planted, i cant see where i made a mistake or something.
Im still hoping to get some more, i will even leave them till next spring i think, maybe i stratify them wrong way? but even the ones i planted outdoors in November 2018 have very little germination rate.

Im a bit disapointed luckly Larches liked me and i got a lot of them

 

[PeaceLoveBonsai]

Pinus Sylvestris

 

[Shibui]

Ive sort of not much luck with my seeds so far, i planted hundreds but only few germinated. I dont understand why.
Some of the seeds i was taking out of the fridge had shells opened and roots forming but they never germinated in the soil, maybe 1 for 6 of them planted, i cant see where i made a mistake or something.
Im still hoping to get some more, i will even leave them till next spring i think, maybe i stratify them wrong way? but even the ones i planted outdoors in November 2018 have very little germination rate.

If roots were emerging then germination has occurred so seed was fertile and started growing. That means the problem is likely to be after planting. There are many reasons that seedlings fail at that stage.
Lack of water is a key factor. The seeds are usually very close to the surface so if the mix dries out just a little it can affect the seeds. Fortunately most seeds have a store of energy that can get them through some dry in the very early stages.
Infection is probably the second big killer of seedlings. Young tissue is very easily infected by fungi, etc. Damping off is common but usually affects slightly older seedlings. There may have been some pathogen(s) in your mix just waiting for some juicy plant material. I have often seed infection occur during stratification in the fridge. Damp plastic bags are a great spot for diseases, even in the fridge. I definitely get better results from natural stratification outside but proper sanitation of fridge stratified seed would probably eliminate most problems.
Physical damage to soft, germinating tissue is possible but unlikely to account for the losses you describe unless you have been really rough.

Keep trying though. Germinating seed is really rewarding when you solve the problems.

 

[eryk2kartman]

Yeaa That what i thought, when i was planting them , it was quite cold outside so i used the greenhouse, and week later i had a lot of sun, so maybe they got fried
but if i move a bit of soil, i can still see the seed and small root.
I moved a lot of seed trays out of greenhouse for now, will see if anything will germinated outdoors.



but hey, there is next year and i already have plans which seeds i would plant, i still keep my fingers crossed, i want more ......