Some updates on what I've got going on. All plants are positioned on relatively south-facing window and I have a grow-light (weak but something at least) on them from the time I wake up til I go to bed:
Hibiscus Syriacus growing nicely. Two different plants, one has three true leaves the other is starting it's second. These were seed started from collected seed from father-in-law's backyard. Only got two of the six seeds I had in the pot to germinate but I'm happy with how they are coming along anyway. These were the first seeds I started. Took approximately 4 weeks to germinate from scarification time. They seem happy. Will repot them into shallow containers when weather becomes nicer out and I can leave them outside.
Main white oak. Going into second flush. Hoping to get 4 or 5 flushes of growth this year and get him to about 12'' in overall height. Roots are very strong already, growing into the reservoir of water below but I see new roots in the dirt as well so I am not too concerned about the strength of the plant. I may cut back one of the strong roots to get more growth from higher up the root. Does anyone think this is a good idea or should I just let them grow as is until I repot?
Second white oak. This one has continuously dampened off but I treated with a hydrogen peroxide / water solution and finally see some healthy buds appearing. Hope is not lost on it yet.
Some crabapple seeds sprouted today also so I replanted them. Seeds were gathered from a gas-station tree in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Pretty happy with the germination of these. I only had six seeds and already have three viable. Will probably treat them with hydrogen peroxide solution in a day or so as a precaution against dampening. I did not clip the roots on these, but if I get any more sprouting, I will try on whatever comes up next as an experiment.
I have a number of other seeds stratifying so, we will see what happens come spring when I can get them outside. Added some alder, birch, spruce, etc. Goal is to get some strong seedlings and select up to 10 of each to work with. The rest I'll probably dump or stick in the yard and see how they fare.
To be honest, I get a great deal of enjoyment out of watching the seeds sprout. I know that they will not be ready as a nice bonsai for a long time but I enjoy the process of nurturing them to life a lot. Not too bad for randomly collected seeds from the wild so far.
