2021 from seeds !

AlainK

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A bit early ? Not sure : the seeds that will grow in 2021 are collected in 2020, so the process is starting now.

I collected samaras from Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' in a park. From what I've read, they need a double stratification, 120 days warm stratification, then 120 days cold stratification, but that means 8 months.

So I let them dry for about 2 weeks, and put them in tepid water today.

Tomorrow, I will put them in an aluminium tray (see the thread about maple seeds) with some soil, and keep them alternately in my house (19-22° C, 66-71 F) for three weeks, then in a small fridge (3-5 ° C, 37-41 F) I have in my garage for the same, then reduce for a few days the alternance : 21 days temperate, 21 days cold, then 15 days cold, 15 days temperate, or so.

A. japonicum, shirasawanum, and a few others are a bit difficult to germinate because of this "double stratification" they are supposed to need but I had 3 shirasawanum out of a dozen germinate while they were just put outside in a pot for the winter, so I think that the change in cold/warm conditions, in a rather mild climate (min. -9° C, 16 F) can be OK. We'll see...
 

Arlithrien

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Went to a botanical garden back in September and collected at least one hundred acer palmatum seeds from a few dozen specimens in their Japanese garden area. They should be ready by January. Hopefully didn't pick them too early, but it was a rare opportunity to visit a japanese garden that I won't get to do again for a while. None of the trees were fancy cultivars, but there should be some good genetic variety to play the lottery with.

Besides that, have set aside some seeds for gardening. Cotton candy grapes and bell pepper seeds that can technically be developed into bonsai.
 

W3rk

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I just ordered and received my first set of tree seeds so that I'll have time to stratify them over the winter for next spring. Field Maple, Trident Maple, Korean Hornbeam, and One Seed Hawthorn.

The Hawthorn however say to pre-treat them with acid: Sulfuric or Nitric, which seem a bit extreme for me and aren't exactly something hanging around the house. Does anyone have suggestions for an alternative treatment for Hawthorn seeds?
 
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Just started (planted) around 15 bristle come pine seeds on my heating mat. Not sure if that counts or not (2020 almost over lol).
 

cmeg1

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Sweeeet

Chinese Elm,Zelkova,cryptomeria Japonica,chaenomeles japonica.

I want to try seedling cuttings of everything.I like the prospects of genetic variability of seed.........seedling cuttings all the better.
Actually going to give some zelkova a go this evening.
 

JoshLaRue

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I'm probably doing things a little off, but I wanted to try growing some seeds indoors over the winter. Hopefully will have some good size little ones to move outside next spring. I have about 30 P, aristata and 15 P. pondersoa that sprouted at the end of september and are all putting out 2-6 off shoots now. Just planted A. buergerianom and put J. osteosperma into warm stratification.
 

PA_Penjing

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Collecting Chinese elm seeds every time I pass one. The street trees here are very cold hardy and have decent enough fall color. Excited to sow hundreds of seeds and pick the ones with the best traits. I hear they have great variability just like JM when grown from seed. I'm running a test right now to figure out with side of the seed is the top and bottom. I recommend everyone who hasn't ever bothered with this before, give it a try. It looks so much better when a seed germinates the right way up, they don't have that sudden ugly S-bend when you dig them up later. Which is just about impossible to correct unless you layer them or use them for cuttings.
Anyway.. excited to pay homage to bonsai's ancient Chinese roots.

Also collected a small handful of European hornbeam, supposed to thicken rapidly. We'll see
 

defra

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I just ordered and received my first set of tree seeds so that I'll have time to stratify them over the winter for next spring. Field Maple, Trident Maple, Korean Hornbeam, and One Seed Hawthorn.

The Hawthorn however say to pre-treat them with acid: Sulfuric or Nitric, which seem a bit extreme for me and aren't exactly something hanging around the house. Does anyone have suggestions for an alternative treatment for Hawthorn seeds?
I didnt know this about hawthorn.
I collected some fruits myself some years ago and in fall i put them in the ground and let winter do its thing, next spring at least a couple hawthorns showed up growing in my grow bed maybe just lucky ?
 

papkey5

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This fall I have been doing a lot of seed collecting of:
English Yew
English Oak
Hedge Maple
A red leafed jm cultivar( not sure if its an Atropurpureum or bloodgood.)
Another Jm (aka Shigitatsusawa)
European Beech
 

eryk2kartman

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My trip to local Maple place in on the cards for next couple of weeks,
So i might get some maples and maybe royal oaks
Will confirm once collected
Good Idea!
 

Kanorin

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What kind of substrate does everyone use for germination? Perlite? Potting soil?
 

BonsaiNaga13

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Got a flat of japanese maple, field maple and trident maple stratifying right now. Trident and palmatum already outside, field maple goin outside in a month or so. Also doing more bald cypress and I ordered some dry arakawa seeds from 2019 that sprouted during the warm stratification process less than 30 days in. Have some leftovers I'll just show in spring since they didn't appear to need a warm or cold stratification 😂. Got some leftover spruce seeds in the fridge I'll be sowing outside in spring and some tree collection and air layers planned for 2021 also. Really wanna do jwp but can't find seeds... Yet😎
 
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I'm giving a go at getting some J Maples from seed. I'm really hoping to at least get a few as the seeds were collected from my Grandmother who has passed on, and I won't have access to the tree anymore. I have them stratifying in the fridge and then plan to pick up a clear plastic tub to germinate them in once the seeds are ready. Hopefully the plastic tub will act as a poor mans greenhouse. To those of you more educated, does this sound like a good plan?
 

Lutonian

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Started these in the photos and put all my leftover seed outside in seed trays too. The leftover seed are japanese cedar (sugi) various maples, hormbeams, magnolia and other that where not labelled so sum suprises
 

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Wulfskaar

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I currently have some sweetgum in the fridge that I got from my back yard. I plan on planting in late winter.

Also, I have 10 trillion Coast Live Oak acorns, so tossed some in a pot a while back. One of them just sprouted today!
 

BonsaiNaga13

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I'm giving a go at getting some J Maples from seed. I'm really hoping to at least get a few as the seeds were collected from my Grandmother who has passed on, and I won't have access to the tree anymore. I have them stratifying in the fridge and then plan to pick up a clear plastic tub to germinate them in once the seeds are ready. Hopefully the plastic tub will act as a poor mans greenhouse. To those of you more educated, does this sound like a good plan?
Works better to sow directly in the tub now and stratify outside for the winter, make sure the tub has draining holes and cover loosely with soil. Keep in a place protected from critters. These are mine I did last year following those instructions. IMG_20201216_133226.jpg
 

Shibui

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I didnt know this about hawthorn.
I collected some fruits myself some years ago and in fall i put them in the ground and let winter do its thing, next spring at least a couple hawthorns showed up growing in my grow bed maybe just lucky ?
Germination inhibitors help plants survive in harsh environments but even species with germination inhibitors will have some seeds that will germinate with less/no pre-treatment. This is genetic variation that is used by living organisms to adapt to changes in the environment - produce a range of offspring and hope that some will survive whatever is happening outside. The rest of those seeds probably did not grow because the seeds had better inhibitors. Often the inhibitors break down slowly so more will germinate sporadically over time, sometimes a few each year so keeping the seed tray can sometimes yield results.

Some plants with fruit have developed inhibitors that depend on the seed being eaten before germination will occur. It makes sense not to have all your babies growing in the same place and competing with the parent so only having seed that will germinate after passing through a bird or animal makes sense as those seeds are likely to have been transported to a new location and will also have a small supply of fertilizer when they grow.
Acid treatment is sometimes used with fruit seeds to mimic the seeds passing through a bird or animal.
The full range of seed adaptations is truly amazing.
 

BonsaiNaga13

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I use 50/50 perlite and peat moss.
Using the same this year. Had poor results with potting soil on a few flats last year 3 or 4 of my flats had about 1 sprout each. 3 were trident one was japanese maple had 2 japanese maple flats that did well tho, the 2 pictured out of 6 or 7
 

BonsaiNaga13

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I also have some gingko stratifying, collected some seedlings and a lot of seeds from a work site this summer, 2 seedlings survived transplanting. I would try some pin oak but the squirrels will do enough of those for me 😂 I am planning on digging a few older seedlings tho.
 
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