They come in all shapes and sizes. The Bonsai Nut seedling thread.

[palafr01]

Hey everyone since so many of us grow trees from seed here I thought it would cool idea if we had a thread where everyone could share their seedlings. Given the random nature of seed growing, every so often truly weird or unique individuals show up that are extra special so if you if have any seedlings like that feel free to show them here.

With all that said I'll start us off with this oddball ginkgo seedling of mine from a batch of 240 seeds that I started this spring. It might be hard to see from the photos, but this seedling has three cotyledons on top of having its first true leaves fused together. I don't like the long term survival prospects for this seedling due to the fusion of the apical leaves, but I'm hoping more grow appears soon. Fortunately it looks like there might be some buds just above the cotyledons so maybe it will send another shoot from there.

 

[Kullas]

Picked up 1 fruit from a osage orange my uncle had planted years ago, this spring. Broke it open and scooped out the seeds in a flat and covered with a little soil. I kept it moist and I think they all came up. Moved them into there individual pots on Monday. I stopped at 40.

 

[W3rk]

Hey everyone since so many of us grow trees from seed here I thought it would cool idea if we had a thread where everyone could share their seedlings. Given the random nature of seed growing, every so often truly weird or unique individuals show up that are extra special so if you if have any seedlings like that feel free to show them here.

With all that said I'll start us off with this oddball ginkgo seedling of mine from a batch of 240 seeds that I started this spring. It might be hard to see from the photos, but this seedling has three cotyledons on top of having its first true leaves fused together. I don't like the long term survival prospects for this seedling due to the fusion of the apical leaves, but I'm hoping more grow appears soon. Fortunately it looks like there might be some buds just above the cotyledons so maybe it will send another shoot from there.

Gathered 2-3 Bald Cypress cones last fall. Started them a little early this year at the end of the winter.

 

[Kullas]

Gathered 2-3 Bald Cypress cones last fall. Started them a little early this year at the end of the winter.
View attachment 441540

How old of a tree does it take to get seeds pods?

 

[Frozentreehugger]

Not 100 percent positive but I believe I have the parent tree correctly identified as. Sargent I cherry the most cold hardy of the Japanese cherry I propagated from fruit collected still on the tree late winter I had 3 more but did not make the transition to outdoors to much sun to early thought a sun loving tree would love full morning sun

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Love the seed projects. @Kullas , in particular love the Osage orange, this is a species I have always thought should be evaluated for bonsai suitability. At a glance as landscape trees, it looks like it will be good. (except don't let fruit mature on a bonsai osage, the weight will break the branch). There are some species that can only be obtained reasonably from seed.

Raising trees from seed is the "nurseryman's phase" of bonsai. At some point all bonsai were from seed somewhere in their past. However this is the "boring" part of bonsai, in that raising trees from seed for bonsai differs only slightly from raising seed for landscape nursery purposes. This is 5 to 20 years where not much "bonsai technique" really happens. Most bonsai artists start with trees developed well beyond this phase. It is a mistake to think artists like Bjorn or Ryan Neil are working with tree seedlings every year. There are a fair number of nurseries supplying seedlings ready for use as pre-bonsai or for use as bonsai. A novice bonsai artist should start with material that has already been trained through the seedling phase, and is old enough to begin applying bonsai technique. If a novice starts with seed, it will be a decade or more before the opportunity to practice "real bonsai technique" will present itself with the material they started from seed. If you want to learn bonsai, start with OLDER MATERIAL. Start with material in different age and training phases. This way you can learn more techniques. Every new, young bonsai artist should collect a 100 or more old wild tree from nature (or purchase a 100 or more year old collected tree). Should also collect old urban landscape plants, should purchase already trained "near show quality" bonsai, and of course some cheap nursery stock , and to round things out, start some trees from seed.

Raising from seed is part of a well rounded bonsai education, my caution is simply to not make it too large a part of your bonsai education. Save room for other projects.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@Frozentreehugger - you are in zone 4, in my opinion, Japanese white pine (JWP) are fully winter hardy in your area when grown on their own roots. Most JWP available in North America are grafted on JBP to make them more tolerant of hot summers in lower USA States. You should start a batch of JWP from seed in order to have JWP to work with that are on their own roots. In time, as the seedlings get larger you can use them as understock for named cultivars of JWP scions with superior foliage traits. Pinus strobus is also good understock for cold tolerance. You should also start of pick up seedling Pinus banksiana, the Jack pine. It is the most cold hardy of all the 2 needle pines, and should perform well for you. Techniques would be similar to mugo and scotts pine.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

@Frozentreehugger - you are in zone 4, in my opinion, Japanese white pine (JWP) are fully winter hardy in your area when grown on their own roots. Most JWP available in North America are grafted on JBP to make them more tolerant of hot summers in lower USA States. You should start a batch of JWP from seed in order to have JWP to work with that are on their own roots. In time, as the seedlings get larger you can use them as understock for named cultivars of JWP scions with superior foliage traits. Pinus strobus is also good understock for cold tolerance. You should also start of pick up seedling Pinus banksiana, the Jack pine. It is the most cold hardy of all the 2 needle pines, and should perform well for you. Techniques would be similar to mugo and scotts pine.

I agree 100 percent Leo I only restarted bonsai last spring . You have no idea how much Covid has effected supply up here . I only grow stuff from seed I can’t get . Like the cherry . JWP is something I have always wanted all seedling sources or trees are USA difficult to import . Seeds are next to impossible to get . Canada bonsai had some this spring only source I have seen but I missed the timing he sold out gave to wait till next year but looks like he has killer source of green seed . Recently got a couple of young container pitch pine also difficult to get seeds here there is incredible Yamadori of them on islands in the St Lowerce. River all protected . As for jack pine that and black spruce I’m looking for both prefer some container stock or love to find Yamadori as compared to seeds like I said seeds are kind of last resort for me Getting closer hopefully I finally have a another search over Canada plum Prunus nigra Have 20 1 gallon pure seedlings ordered long time wanted . If your not aware mist cold hardy plum very close related to American plum and will cross pollinate with . Several sources are lying they have American or crosses as Canada . Pure tree has distinctive flowers and near black bark parent tree needs to be isolated from other plums . Source I have says it’s not grown ax seed propagation has 10 percent the success of American plum

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I forgot about your Canada plum thread. Definitely pursue that species.

 

[SWfloirda]

Leucaena leucocephala or River Tamarind. 7months old.

 

[Kullas]

Love the seed projects. @Kullas , in particular love the Osage orange, this is a species I have always thought should be evaluated for bonsai suitability. At a glance as landscape trees, it looks like it will be good. (except don't let fruit mature on a bonsai osage, the weight will break the branch). There are some species that can only be obtained reasonably from seed.

Raising trees from seed is the "nurseryman's phase" of bonsai. At some point all bonsai were from seed somewhere in their past. However this is the "boring" part of bonsai, in that raising trees from seed for bonsai differs only slightly from raising seed for landscape nursery purposes. This is 5 to 20 years where not much "bonsai technique" really happens. Most bonsai artists start with trees developed well beyond this phase. It is a mistake to think artists like Bjorn or Ryan Neil are working with tree seedlings every year. There are a fair number of nurseries supplying seedlings ready for use as pre-bonsai or for use as bonsai. A novice bonsai artist should start with material that has already been trained through the seedling phase, and is old enough to begin applying bonsai technique. If a novice starts with seed, it will be a decade or more before the opportunity to practice "real bonsai technique" will present itself with the material they started from seed. If you want to learn bonsai, start with OLDER MATERIAL. Start with material in different age and training phases. This way you can learn more techniques. Every new, young bonsai artist should collect a 100 or more old wild tree from nature (or purchase a 100 or more year old collected tree). Should also collect old urban landscape plants, should purchase already trained "near show quality" bonsai, and of course some cheap nursery stock , and to round things out, start some trees from seed.

Raising from seed is part of a well rounded bonsai education, my caution is simply to not make it too large a part of your bonsai education. Save room for other projects.

I have a older tree and alot of pre bonsai. These 40 osage orange gives me some free experience on this tree. Several will go in the ground for bonsai and bow wood and some will be experimental and maybe some sold or traded. These are not a very common tree around these parts so it will be fun.

 

[W3rk]

How old of a tree does it take to get seeds pods?

Unfortunately I do not know. I took the cones from a very mature landscape Bald Cypress that was easily 40-60+ years old.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I think bad cypress only need to be 25 or so years old. They do not need to be ancient to begin bearing cones. I've seen landscape planted trees, in moist but not water logged settings bearing cones in areas I knew were planted less than 30 years prior. They really do grow fast in mesic soils, meaning moist but not water logged and not periodically flooded. We see them in the flooded areas not because that is where they must grow, but because that is where they can out compete other trees. Bald cypress like moist but not flooded soils. They are still around because they will survive flooding when the maples and other deciduous trees die if in standing water. A bald cypress can not compete with maples and oaks on open ground, but can grow better than maples and oaks on flooded soils.

 

[Kullas]

I think bad cypress only need to be 25 or so years old. They do not need to be ancient to begin bearing cones. I've seen landscape planted trees, in moist but not water logged settings bearing cones in areas I knew were planted less than 30 years prior. They really do grow fast in mesic soils, meaning moist but not water logged and not periodically flooded. We see them in the flooded areas not because that is where they must grow, but because that is where they can out compete other trees. Bald cypress like moist but not flooded soils. They are still around because they will survive flooding when the maples and other deciduous trees die if in standing water. A bald cypress can not compete with maples and oaks on open ground, but can grow better than maples and oaks on flooded soils.

That is showing to be the case here. I planted 2 in the ground in compost, full sun and I keep it watered every day. It has way outgrown the one in a larg pot in another pot with water

 

[Frozentreehugger]

Gathered 2-3 Bald Cypress cones last fall. Started them a little early this year at the end of the winter.
View attachment 441540

What are you planning to do with them style wise reason I ask is I have only seen some form of formal upright collected trees . I understand that’s there natural growth . But considering your starting from seed you could incorporate another style

 

[19Mateo83]

70+ Dunstan chestnut trees.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

70+ Dunstan chestnut trees.

I have never heard of Dunstan chestnuts. Are they a hybrid Castanea? the culinary chestnuts or are they some sort of ornamental, inedible horse chestnut, Aesculus?

I know there has been effort to breed hybrid chestnuts with some American chestnut traits (Castanea dentata) as flavor is superior to Chinese and other chestnut species. But I am not current on hybrid names or successes.

 

[19Mateo83]

I have never heard of Dunstan chestnuts. Are they a hybrid Castanea? the culinary chestnuts or are they some sort of ornamental, inedible horse chestnut, Aesculus?

I know there has been effort to breed hybrid chestnuts with some American chestnut traits (Castanea dentata) as flavor is superior to Chinese and other chestnut species. But I am not current on hybrid names or successes.

These are the hybridized American chestnuts. They taste a lot better than Chinese chestnuts.
https://chestnuthilltreefarm.com/learning-center/dunstan-chestnut-history-2/

 

[Krishhhhh]

just started some kinzu seeds and it’s been less than 2 weeks only

 

[Backwardsvg]

Here are my mugo babies. They have grown a bit since this was taken but they are coming in well! Excited to see what they are like in a few years