Acer Palmatum from Seed

[RobertB]

So I've collected about 300-500 seeds from many different Japanese maple cultivars this fall. Going to start them with these other seeds for the JBP contest.

There is some interesting info on evergreen gardenworks website about growing JM from seed. Some info about pruning / pinching at about the 1 - 2yr period, once they have been potted out of their flat, so they can fill the container with roots. Somehow this is supposed to help with internode length later on. Was pretty interesting.

Looking for feedback on practices and lessons learned from growing straight acer palmatum from seed. I've seen some very nice specimens grown from seed so I assume that not everyone works with cultivars only.

I am doing this just for fun. I love JM and I assume I will get to learn a lot and maybe end up with a few decent plants. I hope to have 50 trees with small differences by the end of year 2.

Finally, interested in info regarding cutting the tap root, how long after germination, how much to remove, etc.

Would love to see some photos of JM grown from seed.

Thank you for any comments in advance.

 

[RobertB]

any comment?

 

[Fonz]

Here are my seedlings a couple of months ago

 

[0soyoung]

A child of acer shirasawanum aurem, golden full moon as it was last year

Does not reproduce true to the variety, so it is just a generic a. shirasawanum.

 

[0soyoung]

Acer circinatum (vine maple)

 

[RobertB]

Looks good. Any advice on pruning and root pruning in the early years?

 

[Bavarian Raven]

Looks good. Any advice on pruning and root pruning in the early years?

Best time to prune j. Maples is late winter / early spring imho. When the buds start to enlarge but before they truly start to grow. At least that's what I've found from experience IMHO. Cheers.

 

[RobertB]

Yes I understand that. I have several yard plants I just pruned. I'm talking more specifically about seedling pruning to prevent long enternodes and start good nebari from an early age.

 

[Toraidento]

Yeah I would like to hear some info on this subject also I have been reading about JBP for the upcoming contest and have read about seedling cutting for radial roots and to form lower branches for Trunk taper is this the same for Maples, and Elms? I also have Zelkova seeds in the frig stratifying so this info would be really nice

 

[RobertB]

putting 1/2 of my Japanese maple and sugar maple in fridge tonight. Sugar maples are for the yard and possibly some of the larger japanese maple seedlings. The black pines i probably will not start till march.

 

[rodeolthr]

So fwiw, I collect hundreds of seeds each fall from the Japanese maples in my yard (many different selections, though the standard green leaf with tiny seeds and sango kaku seem to produce the seedlings which best suit my purpose) specifically to germinate and grow on for mame and shohin bonsai stock. The best results for me, in my climate, have been to direct seed them into Anderson flats filled with very loose potting mix (after stratifying over the winter. I've noticed that few of the seeds germinate if left in our usually wet winters). I grow them very crowded and leave them in the flats for at least a year and sometimes 2. I cut them back in fall/autumn after they drop their leaves to a position on their tiny trunks where the internodal spacing is quite close. That spacing is of course relative to the size of tree you're ultimately planning.....but for me, I end up cutting back to about 4" high. Sometime after the new growth has hardened the following spring, I pot them into standard 4" bedding plant pots and into the trays that accommodate them. Because of our very mild climate, I've had the best results with root pruning and transplanting after the initial spring growth hardens.....before that our days are just too mild to induce good root growth. Those are just my observations of what I've experienced and what has worked for me. Hope it's of some help.
Kevin

 

[Toraidento]

So fwiw, I collect hundreds of seeds each fall from the Japanese maples in my yard (many different selections, though the standard green leaf with tiny seeds and sango kaku seem to produce the seedlings which best suit my purpose) specifically to germinate and grow on for mame and shohin bonsai stock. The best results for me, in my climate, have been to direct seed them into Anderson flats filled with very loose potting mix (after stratifying over the winter. I've noticed that few of the seeds germinate if left in our usually wet winters). I grow them very crowded and leave them in the flats for at least a year and sometimes 2. I cut them back in fall/autumn after they drop their leaves to a position on their tiny trunks where the internodal spacing is quite close. That spacing is of course relative to the size of tree you're ultimately planning.....but for me, I end up cutting back to about 4" high. Sometime after the new growth has hardened the following spring, I pot them into standard 4" bedding plant pots and into the trays that accommodate them. Because of our very mild climate, I've had the best results with root pruning and transplanting after the initial spring growth hardens.....before that our days are just too mild to induce good root growth. Those are just my observations of what I've experienced and what has worked for me. Hope it's of some help.
Kevin

Yeah after reading a few more articles on maples and elms I noticed u can bare root desidious trees unlike pines that don't take that to kindly. I'm figuring there's not as much an issue with cutting the tap root and getting limbs to grow down low on the trunk. I'm guessing pines wanna grow tall and get above the under growth and brush to get sunlight before growing limbs. I'm still reading alot ATM trying to figure stuff out some common sense will help but I tend to ask questions without thinking sometimes. But ty for your reply I'm sure you'll see more of me on here as I learn

 

[RobertB]

Here are my seedlings a couple of months ago


View attachment 170141

Fonz, whats your plan with these? They look like you could go ahead and put some movement in them this winter or even now. Were these started this year? Did you do anything special when you transferred the seedling to the pot, unless you started in the current pots.

 

[augustine]

There used to be a good article online which the author published as an e-book. It is on Amazon, cheap. The title is:

BONSAI JAPANESE MAPLES: Developing Japanese Maples from Seedlings for Bonsai (Okami Gardens Bonsai Series Book 1)

There is a summary of the article here:

http://www.columbusbonsai.org/?q=node/68

Happy Holidays All,

 

[AlainK]

When you sow seeds from Acer p. cultivars, you know, it's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you will get.

A cutting from a seedling from a seed taken on an A p. dissectum atropurpureum (lace-leaf red J. maple). Narrower lobes than on the plain species, the center one often being slightly curved, green with reddish margins on young leaves, deep red in Autumn, and a more "waxy" consistance.

Three A. p. from a "mixed" bag (Maple Society seed distribution scheme), sowed in the spring of 2007:



Etc.

Still too young to know what they will look like when they mature, but I find these three interesting to compare. Got a few others too that look more or less to the plain species, some with nice autumn colours, like some Acer shirasawanum from 'Autumn Moon' that developped spectacularly in two years:

 

[Fonz]

Fonz, whats your plan with these? They look like you could go ahead and put some movement in them this winter or even now. Were these started this year? Did you do anything special when you transferred the seedling to the pot, unless you started in the current pots.

I have 11 of them. I cut 7 back to about 4 inches (or 3 nodes) and wired them so they have some movement. the other can grow freely for another year.
No real plans so far

 

[Fonz]

And yes they where started this year
I started them in cocofibre pots and put the seedlings (including the fibre pot) in a bigger pot after a month or so. Used regular potting soil and perlite mix...
I will be repotting them in better soil next spring probably.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

So I've collected about 300-500 seeds from many different Japanese maple cultivars this fall. Going to start them with these other seeds for the JBP contest.

There is some interesting info on evergreen gardenworks website about growing JM from seed. Some info about pruning / pinching at about the 1 - 2yr period, once they have been potted out of their flat, so they can fill the container with roots. Somehow this is supposed to help with internode length later on. Was pretty interesting.

Looking for feedback on practices and lessons learned from growing straight acer palmatum from seed. I've seen some very nice specimens grown from seed so I assume that not everyone works with cultivars only.

I am doing this just for fun. I love JM and I assume I will get to learn a lot and maybe end up with a few decent plants. I hope to have 50 trees with small differences by the end of year 2.

Finally, interested in info regarding cutting the tap root, how long after germination, how much to remove, etc.

Would love to see some photos of JM grown from seed.

Thank you for any comments in advance.

Greetings,

I put my seeds between two moist paper towels and seal in a zip lock bag, the put them in the refrigerator about now. By the end of February, early March, you will start to see a root coming out of the seed. I then carefully, using tweezers, put them into a pot or a flat using a mixture of potting soil and lava. You don't have to worry too much about tap roots the first couple of seasons. The one that I gave you on your visit was a two year old seedling.

John

 

[RobertB]

John, thank you for the response. The 2 yr seedling you gave me is just starting to shed some leaves. I am really going to enjoy that tree. The tree I purchased from your father during the local show was defoliated last night and lightly wired. Another tree I'm going to enjoy.

As for the seeds, I started them in two separate sets. 1st about 2 weeks ago and the other, two nights ago. I have a bunch of seeds, probably over 500 that were started. First I soaked them in initially hot water for 24hrs, then went ahead and got all them ready for the fridge. (I started all seeds even the ones that didn't sink). It was actually interesting as the seeds were picked at two locations. Most of the seeds from one location sunk while the other locations seeds mostly floated.

I started some in moist paper towels (I actually tried to squeeze out all excess water). Some were started in toilet paper, and some were started in moist sphagnum moss. Some were placed in moist paper towels then wrapped with sphagnum moss. All are in the fridge now and will plan on updating this thread when I plan in March.

 

[Velodog2]

I purchased these upright dissectums on a Facebook auction at the end of last summer. According to the seller they had been grown from seed with a piece of window screening laid over them to provide resistance thus giving them the random curves. If I was going to grow some maples from seed I would def give this a try with some of them.