2021 Japanese Maple Seedlings

[penumbra]

So somewhere in the archives there was a discussion about JM seedlings where I showed a bed I had built for fall planting of a variety of JM seeds. Just wanted to report my results. I planted over 400 seeds from about a dozen or so different cultivars last October (I believe). Germination was, to this point, much lower than I had envisioned. I have about 60 seedlings. I expect a few more stragglers but probably not many. I am however, very happy with the variation of growth I have achieved and hope to live long enough to grow them on a number of years. They were planted in rows so I do have the name of the cultivars they were harvested from, but there is no way I could make a guess as to who did the pollinating and who was the pollinated. (Hope this isn't too racy) I doubt that any of my seedlings will develop traits that set them apart from known cultivars, but if it happens in my lifetime I am going to name it after my wife Leslie, a paragon of patience who has changed my life in so many ways and made me a better person.
Anyone else want to share some picts of JM seedlings?

 

[cbroad]

Not really seedlings anymore but I have probably about 10 that I've plucked from client's yards (I landscape) that have survived a few years and some got repotted this year.

I love the different variation you get with wild seed!

Funny enough, about 30 minutes ago I randomly found a jm seedling in my yard while watering, and planted it in a catch-all pot.

 

[BonsaiGnome]

I love the different variation you get with wild seed!

Gonna have to agree with you there

 

[Dav4]

Very cool!

 

[Pitoon]

Here's some seedlings I germinated last year.

The seedlings to the back are small seed that I collected from one of the large Japanese maples that's at the US Arboratum. When you go at the right time there's seeds all over the ground everywhere.

The seeds to the front left are large seed from Schumacher seeds.

The reds you see in the middle are seeds I collected from my Bloodgood, germinate this year from last year seed.

The reds with the larger leaves are rooted cuttings from that same Bloodgood that I collected seed from.

I do hope you get that chance seedling to name after your wife.

 

[GreatLakesBrad]

Thanks for sharing. Amazing to see a lace leaf variety next to some red glow on a green leafed maple in one batch! I have about 100 that have sprouted this spring (of about 200) that are just sprouting their first set of leaves.

I also hope you find a cultivar to name after your wife. Thank you for sharing, I’ll be following this thread!

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Well done! I love seeing these lil guys and thinking of all the endless possibilities they bring!
cheers
DSD sends

 

[n8]

No pictures, but I have about 200 in a tray from 5-6 trees in the neighborhood. Planted them late and they are just poking through.

Love rolling the dice on hundreds of these to see what comes up.

 

[BonsaiDTLA]

Here's some seedlings I germinated last year.

View attachment 371409

All told though, I love this.. fantastic work @Pitoon

 

[ajm55555]

Plain JMs collected as seedlings in a park at the beginning of April. They only had the tap root.
A few didn't make it from the start, a few died after producing some roots. Most survived.

 

[penumbra]

Here's some seedlings I germinated last year.

The seedlings to the back are small seed that I collected from one of the large Japanese maples that's at the US Arboratum. When you go at the right time there's seeds all over the ground everywhere.

The seeds to the front left are large seed from Schumacher seeds.

The reds you see in the middle are seeds I collected from my Bloodgood, germinate this year from last year seed.

The reds with the larger leaves are rooted cuttings from that same Bloodgood that I collected seed from.

I do hope you get that chance seedling to name after your wife.

View attachment 371409

Great setup. Thanks for posting.

 

[penumbra]

Thanks for sharing. Amazing to see a lace leaf variety next to some red glow on a green leafed maple in one batch! I have about 100 that have sprouted this spring (of about 200) that are just sprouting their first set of leaves.

I also hope you find a cultivar to name after your wife. Thank you for sharing, I’ll be following this thread!

Thank you. The variation is great. Please share yours when you can.

 

[penumbra]

I have a ‘Seiryu’ dissectum maple planted about 30 years ago from a 1 gallon plant. It doesn't produce a lot of seedlings but I have over a dozen. Almost all of them look like the first picture but two plants produced are like the second picture which appears to be identical to the mother plant.

This one I noticed a few days ago and I can't account for it. I have no large seed producing red leaf maple. I have a large red leaf dissectum but have never seen a seedling produced by it. It looks identical to my seedlings in the bed I showed but as the bed it covered I have no idea how this could have gotten where it is.

 

[BarkLeafTrees]

These are all collected seeds from an Acer Palmatum ‘Arakawa’ germinated this year. Not much variation, very slight difference in shapes and sizes of leaves.

The last photo is the tree the seeds came from.