Hello Human from Earth,
I just got my first Bonsai kit from Ashbrook Outdoors. They include instructions for the 5 main seeds however there are 3 without instructions to start the growing process. The 3 are as follows
-Cinnamomum Camphora
-Enterlobium Cyclocarpum
-Ficus Religosa
If anyone could tell me what I need to do pre-sowing, sowing, watering, required sunlight, and time to germinate for all three that would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to all
-MGO
P.S. I plan on giving away all but one bonsai, Jacaranda Mimosifolia, for christmas along with required tools and just start them all up now for people. I chose that species because it will match my gaming setup, which is Black and Blue.
Hello and welcome to BNut
Raising pre-bonsai trees from seed is ''its own thing'', I've been doing bonsai, and raising trees from seed since 1973 when I was in high school. I'm easily old enough to be your grandfather. I still get crap from my fellow bonsai friends for starting seed every year. (you'll never live long enough, oh yeah, I have every intention of being here). Yet they don't complain when I hand out 6 year old trees seedling I started, So I encourage you to dive in. I do warn you out of all the seedlings I've started less than 10 % make it to their 4th or 5th year. A lot of things can go wrong. There is very little about raising seedlings in bonsai books, because it is the ''nurseryman's side of the business''. However this side of the hobby is important, because there is a big difference between a 5 year old seedling, raised with bonsai in mind and a 5 year old seedling raised with intent for it to be a landscape plant.
The
ficus seeds are so fine I would sow the seeds on the surface of the soil, cover the pot with clear plastic wrap, then put the pot in a clear plastic bag like you use for food. When second set of leaves start to open, you can first open the bag, then after a few days remove the bag. Bright shade and warm temperatures for the ficus seedlings.
The
Cinnamomum camphora - soak 24 hours, bury seed about 1/4 inch, keep cup at or above 75 F, very bright shade, until more than 4 leaves, then slowly acclimate to half sun when outdoors, pretty much full sun indoors windowsill.
the
guanacaste - Enterolobium cyclocarpum - this is a legume family tree, somewhat like Delonix, but different. Flowers are famous for fragrance. If you haven't soaked these yet, if you have a file or even sandpaper, file a nick in the hard seed coat, or sand down one spot on the seed coat until color changes showing you sanded through most of the seed coat. Then soak for 24 hours. The sanding or filing has the same purpose as boiling water with less chance of cooking the seed embryo to death. (seeds cooked a couple hours are eaten as food in Costa Rica)
guanacaste is a full sun tropical tree, it will be weak grown indoors.
All the species you listed require fairly high light. Ficus in general will do well as a winter indoors, summer outdoors bonsai. The rest will suffer during winter, and resent the winter indoors. but they can be grown. For comparison, if you were to set up lights, you would need a light garden bright enough for tomatoes, peppers or marijuana. These are not cheap set ups, but not horribly expensive. I use T5 fixture by Sunblaze. the 48 inch fixture with 4 or 8 lamps, depending on the space. I use 5500K and 6500K T5 lamps. With an 18 hour day length, this will give foliage within 16 inches of the lamps the equivalent of rough 50% sun. Good enough for many trees, not good enough for pines. Okay for ficus, Brazilian rain trees, and the trees on your list. Nice thing about the SunBlaze fixture is the reflector is excellent, maximizing the amount of light directed down to the plants. And it is industrial but attractive enough that parents would not object to it being seen in the house.
So welcome to the hobby.
I realize the message board here is sluggish compared to Instagram, FB, IM, but the conversations are searchable and the intent is that everyone can read them at their leisure.
Leo
or ;D the D is the mouth and the X is crossed eyes. Uts basically the text form of the cross eye emoji. So yea ur just plain confused. And i thought u were talking about the gourd message not the real one u responded to.
