Growing from Seed

[Matt1]

Hi there, I just bought a grow light to starting growing my own bonsai's this winter. I have picked a handful of Red Acer's and bought others. If anyone has any tips let me know. Also, I'm a bit of a geek and started a blog to record the infant stages of there lives. Please check it out.
http://bonsaifromseeds.blogspot.ca

 

[coppice]

Matt not to rain on your parade, but is your goal to make a few trees each year to develop as bonsai? Or a few thousand?

Is that a greenhouse in your pocket, or are you just glad to bere?

 

[gergwebber]

Matt not to rain on your parade, but is your goal to make a few trees each year to develop as bonsai? Or a few thousand?

Is that a greenhouse in your pocket, or are you just glad to bere?

You can't rain on his parade coppice!!! he's on Vancouver Island!!!
Plus Id like to do the "pound it out" version of whatever plant nerds do... exchange notes about little known cultivars??? Exchange Harry Potter references?? maybe Monty Python???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4SJ0xR2_bQ really, try to have a bad day after that one!

Anyway, coppice has a point: If you are still a renter, or live a bit away from mom and/or dads, and/or don't have a lot of yard to work with, then check yourself!! As a bonsai enthusiast who has never owned a home, I will tell you that this hobby depends greatly on stability and the ability to provide suitable habitat for your trees. (these habitats may differ by a few but extremely important degrees of sun or temperature) Might not be a problem for you! hope it won't be for me much longer!

anyway, have fun and keep it all well documented. Cool seed company! thanks for the share!

 

[GrimLore]

Looking around 5 1/2 acres and a rather large house I just realized how much space this takes and really am not certain how I allowed it to take over - If you are limited on space I would highly suggest you buy saplings and start them outdoors in cheap pots that can be moved about, perhaps along the side of a driveway. Most of the stuff I deal with does not do that well indoors really except Tropicals for the winter...

 

[Klytus]

I perused.

 

[Matt1]

Thanks for the tips. I am not sure what to make of it all. Some of it seems like sarcasm.
I am moving in the near future so I will have a backyard and more space for my garden.
My reasoning for growing trees from seed is, I didn't want to buy someones haft started project to make my own. Also I was told I could not grow them indoors. Let me make something clear, I do not want to keep them in doors at all. I am just going them in doors during the winter months.

 

[FrankP999]

Also I was told I could not grow them indoors. Let me make something clear, I do not want to keep them in doors at all. I am just going them in doors during the winter months.

Deciduous trees like maples go dormant in the winter cold. Trying to keep them growing under lights indoors likely will weaken or kill them. Now, ficus are a different story and will like that. But pines, maples, elms, etc need the winter cold dormant cycle to thrive.

 

[coppice]

Mat I love my trees, they are dear to me as my children are. Having had to move on short notice. And purge, give away, or shovel prune a couple thousand trees, (it) was about as pleasant as doing my own root-canal with the dremel.

I do share your vice of starting trees from seed or cutting.

 

[Matt1]

You are right Frank. I leave all my trees outside 100% of the time. The only thing I am growing indoors ever are going to be the seeds in their very early stages during the fall/winter months. From what I understand I will have more luck growing under light this time of year vs trying to grow them outside out of season. I thought I might be able to make some money doing this but the more I understand and learn about these trees the more I realize that this will be a hobby for many more years before I could even think of making a dollar.

Has anyone ever grown from seed before?

 

[Gene Deci]

Has anyone ever grown from seed before?

I have some oaks I started from acorns and some red bud I started from seed. Both were done mainly from curiosity and because the seeds were so readily available from trees in the neighborhood.

After about 15 years, which included time in the ground, a few of the oaks are starting to come around. (see pic) The red bud are eight years old and doing well but they are far from being bonsai.

So, to answer your question, people do start trees from seed all the time but you must be realistic about how long it will take.

 

[FrankP999]

Has anyone ever grown from seed before?

I have stratified then planted maples and zelkova from seed indoors. One point is the timing. You want the seed to spend as little time as possible indoors so start the seed with that in mind. I planted mine in February so 6-10 weeks later the weather outdoors is OK to move them outdoors. I found it was really hard to get seedlings to thrive indoors so I used lights, etc to give them a small head start of 6-10 weeks insode then quickly get them outdoors.

 

[Matt1]

That is a great looking tree you have there. I am aware of how long these guys are going to take. I am looking forward too it. That is why I like bonsai so much.

 

[GrimLore]

The Squirrel Population plants Oak and Maple seeds and this year has also planted some Evergreens in a wide variety of planters and containers we have all about the property and they really take forever it seems to grow. We have 5 Maples for 2-3 years now that are just reaching 6 inches the oaks are at about 7 inches. I see from personal experience I am better off buying saplings as I would like to be alive when the plants are of any working quality Of course it still is kind of fun to have these lil guys randomly pop up here and there and they get proper attention

We have never had any success - even limited with trees from seeds, one of those things that just don't work out for us but honest if you have some space I can understand it being interesting and fun.

 

[nash2000]

I to would like to grow my own trees but first I need to make sure I can keep my "store bought" trees healthy. I probably won't go seed route...I think I'll go the cutting route, but I'm a ways away from doing so.

 

[gergwebber]

The Squirrel Population plants Oak and Maple seeds and this year has also planted some Evergreens in a wide variety of planters and containers we have all about the property and they really take forever it seems to grow. We have 5 Maples for 2-3 years now that are just reaching 6 inches the oaks are at about 7 inches. I see from personal experience I am better off buying saplings as I would like to be alive when the plants are of any working quality Of course it still is kind of fun to have these lil guys randomly pop up here and there and they get proper attention

We have never had any success - even limited with trees from seeds, one of those things that just don't work out for us but honest if you have some space I can understand it being interesting and fun.

blue jays are pretty astute planters as well

 

[CorinneL]

Has anyone ever grown from seed before?

Just having jumped into Bonsai this fall, I am thrilled with the idea of growing from seeds and have collected and started about 25 Mountain Ash seeds - will be putting them out for stratification shortly. In the coming summer I plan to try my hand at cuttings from my serviceberry shrub.

 

[Sapling]

I have been growing from seed now for over 15 years and find it very rewarding. When I started I lost many to different reasons but have had success the last 7 or 8 years with a few. I also find that using non traditional trees grown from seed you have the upper hand in creating a wonderful tree!