Maple Seeds

carmabonsai

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I'm getting ready to grow some maples from seeds but I don't know any good place to get seeds from that is reliable or what kind of maple I should start with to make things easier when growing and, later, shaping it.

Any advice? Good places you have found online to buy them?

Thank you
 

Rivian

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Consider riding your bicycle around town and keep your eyes open. They are planted all over the world where the climate allows it. Might not have to spend any money on this.
Btw add your location to your profile if you want useful advice
 

Rivian

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I imagine you dont have a winter in New Mexico, so you need to find a semi-evergreen or evergreen maple species. If I was you I would look for countries with similar climate and then make a list of maple species that grow there, and then try to get your hands on some. Keep an eye on which elevation they grow at too, though. Higher elevations are usually cooler.
Or just ask bonsai enthusiasts in your area
 

rollwithak

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You’re in zone 7 and shouldn’t have any issues growing Maples. Check out google.


Trident Maples and field maples are cool species for bonsai. Many varieties of Japanese Maple too, however many cultivars come from grafts more often than not.


goodluck 😎👍🏼
 
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Kanorin

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Like @SeanS is doing, you'll need to either put the seeds in the fridge for about 10 weeks or sow the seeds in the ground this fall. That's because most maple seeds have a cold dormancy requirement. Otherwise, the seeds won't sprout the first year (for example if you sow them in the spring, they would emerge the following spring unless you had already satisfied their dormancy requirement).

You can put them in the fridge in a ziplock bag with a moist (not dripping) piece of paper towel. After about 10 weeks or so, you should see little shoots starting to emerge - at that point you can plant them in your substrate of choice. The tricky part is that if you put the seeds in the fridge now, they might start sprouting in November - which is a terrible time to put newly emerging seedlings outdoors in zone 7. If you have an indoor growing set up, this is less of a problem.

If you don't have an indoor growing setup just collect the seeds now and keep them dry at room temperature until December or so. In December, hydrate them in a glass of water overnight, then put them in the fridge and hopefully they will start sprouting in late February - March.
 

SeanS

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Like @SeanS is doing, you'll need to either put the seeds in the fridge for about 10 weeks or sow the seeds in the ground this fall. That's because most maple seeds have a cold dormancy requirement. Otherwise, the seeds won't sprout the first year (for example if you sow them in the spring, they would emerge the following spring unless you had already satisfied their dormancy requirement).

You can put them in the fridge in a ziplock bag with a moist (not dripping) piece of paper towel. After about 10 weeks or so, you should see little shoots starting to emerge - at that point you can plant them in your substrate of choice. The tricky part is that if you put the seeds in the fridge now, they might start sprouting in November - which is a terrible time to put newly emerging seedlings outdoors in zone 7. If you have an indoor growing set up, this is less of a problem.

If you don't have an indoor growing setup just collect the seeds now and keep them dry at room temperature until December or so. In December, hydrate them in a glass of water overnight, then put them in the fridge and hopefully they will start sprouting in late February - March.

Exactly what I did. Collected, remove the wings, soaked overnight and into the fridge in a ziplock bag with some damp sphagnum. Hoping to see some little sprouts in a couple weeks :D
 

hinmo24t

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Exactly what I did. Collected, remove the wings, soaked overnight and into the fridge in a ziplock bag with some damp sphagnum. Hoping to see some little sprouts in a couple weeks :D

im glad for his post too. im going to collect seeds and then in december put them in fridge like he said. so in 10 weeks when they sprout or i sow them itll be a good time of year for them to survive. maple seedlings are easy to get but having them survive >1 year can be a challenge unless i misread something.
 

Nybonsai12

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sheffields sells seeds and are a good place to order from. They update their site regularly with new seed arrivals. always look to buy from the freshest batch.
 

sorce

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Welcome to Crazy! Sorry for the Delay!

Isn't it in the Querqe where you can't find any other seeds cause they're all outcompeted by the Siberian Elms?

Our friend @aml1014 was digging some, I reckon one could export Siberians and import maples to obtain the quickest best collection of maples.

Sorce
 

RKatzin

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Are there Japanese Maples in the landscaping where you live? If so you can often find sprouted seedlings under or around these trees. I know of a few sites around my town where I can collect a few hundred seedlings in spring. Not cultivars, but often a few in the batch will be excellent. Some trees every seedling is worth keeping. I'm mostly looking for color and acceptable leaf size.
 

carmabonsai

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I don't, they don't grow well outside here because they'll be burned from the amount of sun and heat

I've never heard of Siberian elms being here in abundance, we just have cottonwoods and salt cedars (which we need to extinguish anyway because of how bad they are to the cottonwoods)
 

RKatzin

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I doubt it's the sun and heat that maples don't grow there, simply because these can be regulated with shade and water. No, it's the lack of a significant winter season, which is essential for maples to flourish.
So what trees do you see in landscaping or being sold at local nurseries? These would be your best potential bonsai prospects.
If you're going to try to grow indoors you will need to create a dormancy period of about six weeks of about 45F. Like a walk-in refrigerator or something like that.
 

Kanorin

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I doubt it's the sun and heat that maples don't grow there, simply because these can be regulated with shade and water. No, it's the lack of a significant winter season, which is essential for maples to flourish.
So what trees do you see in landscaping or being sold at local nurseries? These would be your best potential bonsai prospects.
If you're going to try to grow indoors you will need to create a dormancy period of about six weeks of about 45F. Like a walk-in refrigerator or something like that.
A little research shows that Albequerque might get enough dormancy for most maples. Average temperature highs for December, January, and February are 48, 49, and 55 degrees with night-time lows between 26 and 30. Maybe not enough dormancy for a sugar maple, but probably ok for a JM or a red maple. I'd guess that the dry climate has more to do with the dirth of seedling survivor and street-tree maples there.
 

RKatzin

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That's why I asked if there are maples in landscaping and at nurseries. He said no and I took it from there.
 

carmabonsai

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I don't know how cold it needs to be, but we get down to the teens and low twenties regularly in winter, most days it stays at about 35. we don't get small enough saplings for what I'm looking for, and there's never any seedlings.
 

Mikecheck123

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No, it's the lack of a significant winter season, which is essential for maples to flourish.
This is a myth that is busted in Bonsai Heresy. It's actually because of the lack of nighttime temperature differential.

It's the reason that Japanese maples FLOURISH in Zone 10 where I live, but die in Los Angeles, even though neither place ever gets below 40.

Here, the nighttime temps, even in the dead of August, routinely dip into the 50s. But in LA, they're hovering in the 70s and 80s.

Which makes all the difference in the world.
 

RKatzin

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So what you're saying Mike is you have a significant winter season, but LA doesn't. What's the difference between significant winter season and lack of night time temperature differential?
 
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