From Seed Division: Sputnik184’s Alnus Incana Forest

[Sputnik 184]

First go at participation in a Bonsai Nut contest. These were Grey Alder seeds collected and put into the fridge in small pots of sand in the late Autumn. 7th Jan checked the seeds in the fridge and noticed some were germinating.

 

[Sputnik 184]

Now removing the seedlings as they germinate and planting on into small trays of Shohin Akadama. Still keeping the seedlings on the kitchen windowsill until the weather begins to warm up when I will move them to the greenhouse.

 

[Sputnik 184]

Started to worry about getting enough germination to grow a forest so decided to stratify some more seeds.

 

[Sputnik 184]

The seeds were collected from a planting of trees along the top of a bank above a small river. The alders have been close planted to stabilise the bank but give a strong indication of their suitability for forest planting.

 

[Sputnik 184]

I’ve been planting the seedlings as they germinate and now have a small tray of little alders. Trying to decide whether to pot them on individually or to grow them on like this to achieve the close planting in the pictures above.

 

[Sputnik 184]

I ended up with two small trays of little alders last year and I did leave them to grow on in the trays which seemed to produce good strong little plants. They have produced excellent budding all down the trunks.