Recently Purchased An Acer Rubrum Seed Kit From Jonsteen And I Have Questions

Nanookadenord43

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As the title states, I purchased an acer rubrum kit from Jonsteen and am having to wait till spring here in Florida to plant it in the supplied greenhouse type thing. So, I guess another month?

I have never done bonsai, let alone planted a tree to be intended as bonsai.

What do I need to know? I have no close bonsai clubs near me so advice is welcome. I am looking for the things that I need to do as it grows in order to get it ready to be a pre-bonsai and then bonsai.

I live in an apartment with a screened in patio on the second floor if this is vital information.

**This is really the only bonsai species that I want and have no real interest in any other. I would just like to concentrate on this seed and not go around messing with larger specimens that I would have to cut from.
 

leatherback

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I guess you would need time. It will take you at leaast 10 years to grow a trunk and another 10 to grow a canopy. But I guess you already know this, as you have been given this info before.

Growing from seed is not for the faint of heart, but lots of fun. But the first 2-4 years it will just be keeping a plant alove and growing, and not much else. I assume in Florida you do not have a cold period. So verify that the seeds have beencold treated. Else you will need to cold treat it first.

http://www.growingbonsai.net/germinating-treeseeds/
 

Nanookadenord43

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I guess you would need time. It will take you at leaast 10 years to grow a trunk and another 10 to grow a canopy. But I guess you already know this, as you have been given this info before.

Growing from seed is not for the faint of heart, but lots of fun. But the first 2-4 years it will just be keeping a plant alove and growing, and not much else. I assume in Florida you do not have a cold period. So verify that the seeds have beencold treated. Else you will need to cold treat it first.

http://www.growingbonsai.net/germinating-treeseeds/

Nice to see you here Leatherback. Thought I would post on two forums and get different advice if possible. No harm in getting lots of advice, no?

I guess I can call Jonsteen and ask them if they have been cold treated, but the instructions do include the seed sitting in the fridge for a bit. No, no cold period here, just sporadic days of cold weather.

At 43 years old, I hope I am able to develop this tree into something wonderful in twenty years.

**Edit- I reached out to the Jonsteen company and they said that they do not pre-chill seeds.
 
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Zach Smith

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Did they send you a single seed or a few? The germination rate is high, so that shouldn't be a problem.

The best and fastest way to grow a seed into something worth working on is to plant it in the ground or, failing that, in the largest pot you can get. I doubt your kit came with a very big pot, most likely a plastic bonsai pot. This will slow the progress of your seedling.

In the first year you grow your seedling, do not do any trimming as this will only slow growth further. Never bring this tree indoors. If your screened patio is all you have, keep it there. If there's any way to place it outdoors, do so. Feed frequently and water as needed. In year two, it will be time to wire the trunk and shape it. Red maples grow good and straight from seed.

Good luck!
 

just.wing.it

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This is really the only bonsai species that I want and have no real interest in any other. I would just like to concentrate on this seed and not go around messing with larger specimens that I would have to cut from.
You say that now...let's see how many trees you have by this time next year ;).
I tried to start with that same mentality.
 

Nanookadenord43

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You say that now...let's see how many trees you have by this time next year ;).
I tried to start with that same mentality.

I will have the same amount, I can make that promise. Don't have much in the way of money and with our rent going up like $300, that leaves less disposable income each month.

Unless a miracle happens, all I see me having is this seed growing into whatever it grows into.
 

A. Gorilla

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**This is really the only bonsai species that I want and have no real interest in any other. I would just like to concentrate on this seed and not go around messing with larger specimens that I would have to cut from.

Problem is, there is nothing to "concentrate on". Other than watering, a tree is basically left alone most of it's life. The fun is having a revolving door of tasks to address, and that requires a variety of trees in different stages of development.

It's not a prescription, it's just how things TEND to happen.

That said, red maples grow really fast.

Another fast grower and easy from seed is elm (chinese and american).
 
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Nanookadenord43

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Problem is, there is nothing to "concentrate on". Other than watering, a tree is basically left alone most of it's life. The fun is having a revolving door of tasks to address, and that requires a variety of trees in different stages of development.

It's not a prescription, it's just how things TEND to happen.

That said, red maples grow really fast.

With how busy I am, between working 16+ hours a day 3 days a week, then having my kids the other 4 days, taking care of my dog, cats and bearded dragons, I find that I don't have lot of time, so that will also keep me from having more than one. Just this one will keep me busy enough... lol.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Most, if not all maples are a bit more difficult from seed than many species, because of their germination requirements. If your seed was sourced from Florida trees, the seed won't need as strong a chill, or as long a chill as seed sourced from norther sources. But here is the problem issue.

Maple seed kept moist, harvested before it has dried out, and kept moist will only need cold stratification to germinate. IF the seed dries out, below maybe 70% moisture, it will need a minimum of 60 days of warm and moist stratification first. Then followed by a 60 to 90 day cold and moist stratification. OR, if just planted into a flat in autumn, left outside, a few will germinate the first spring & summer, but the majority from dry seed will germinate the second spring/summer. Label your seed flat, because I know for myself I often forget what is in this ''empty looking pot'' by the second summer. Reputable seed sellers will identify, and probably sell at a premium price maple seed that was moist harvested and kept moist. Sheffield's Seed is one that sells moist Acer seed.

Raising trees from seed is a rewarding hobby in of itself, it is bonsai only in that this is the nurseryman's side of developing bonsai. Red maples grow fast, you will be able to bring the tree up to the size needed for bonsai within 10 years. Note, you don't style a tree until the trunk is the diameter you want, not the height you want. Often, even the bonsai that are finished quite small, like a 10 inch maple, will spend its first 5 to 10 years being 5 to 10 times its final height, in order to get the trunk diameter needed to pull off the illusion of a large tree in miniature. My future shohin (8 inches or less) Amur maple is about 5 feet tall right now. Trunk is still only slightly thicker than a pencil. It will get cut only when it is about 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Then it will be cut to about 3 or 4 inches tall, allowed to grow out again, then cut back, retaining the second segment of trunk, then allowed to grow out. A repeating cycle until you have the trunk diameter, and a nice sequence of decreasing diameter segments of trunk. Then the first branch work begins. This doesn't have to be a life long process, it can take less than a decade, but it can take longer with slower growing species.
 

Zach Smith

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With how busy I am, between working 16+ hours a day 3 days a week, then having my kids the other 4 days, taking care of my dog, cats and bearded dragons, I find that I don't have lot of time, so that will also keep me from having more than one. Just this one will keep me busy enough... lol.
Unlike everything else you mentioned, bonsai do not move ;) As long as you refrain from overloving it, your bonsai will not demand all that much of your time.
 

TN_Jim

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In the terrible event that your seed don’t make it, these trees are easily identified by leaves and buds in the wild, even in a very juvinile state. You could dig one this spring. These are not preferred timber trees or even have much wildlife value, just ask a landowner..?

I got a maple out of a roadside ditch this past summer, free. It’s very happy to be in a pot and no longer beaten by the highway dept.
Its taken some homework, but I am proving to myself that bonsai can be an extremely affordable pursuit.
 

just.wing.it

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In the terrible event that your seed don’t make it, these trees are easily identified by leaves and buds in the wild, even in a very juvinile state. You could dig one this spring. These are not preferred timber trees or even have much wildlife value, just ask a landowner..?

I got a maple out of a roadside ditch this past summer, free. It’s very happy to be in a pot and no longer beaten by the highway dept.
Its taken some homework, but I am proving to myself that bonsai can be an extremely affordable pursuit.
Cool!
Let's see it! :D
 

discusmike

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Just wondering why rubrum? There are many better suited trees you could grow from seed,some are even fast growers,rubrum is not the best choice for bonsai,but by all means best of luck!
 

Nanookadenord43

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Just wondering why rubrum? There are many better suited trees you could grow from seed,some are even fast growers,rubrum is not the best choice for bonsai,but by all means best of luck!

I am a northerner living in Florida and miss the Maple trees from up there. Just want a little bit of home in the form of a tree.
 

TN_Jim

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F6E77D5D-A789-4881-BF3C-33670237D8C7.jpeg In the terrible event that your seed don’t make it, these trees are easily identified by leaves and buds in the wild, even in a very juvinile state. You could dig one this spring. These are not preferred timber trees or even have much wildlife value, just ask a landowner..?

I got a maple out of a roadside ditch this past summer, free. It’s very happy to be in a pot and no longer beaten by the highway dept.
Its taken some homework, but I am proving to myself that bonsai can be an extremely affordable pursuit.
Cool!
Let's see it! :D
 

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TN_Jim

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I put it in the pot with root base level to the earth, it was growing out of ~60* slope erect (this is why it’s slanted). It had been recently whacked back by the highway folks.
It’s Acer negundo. I know, not ideal bonsai with compound leaves etc., and even despised by many folks in general, but it’s a great find for my new understanding of this art over the past year, and I love this often twisted gnarled species as it naturally occurs. Who knows, could end up being something good in time.
Even if not, Sunday driving with a shovel, bucket, and some hefty bags is my newfound idea of a good time in search of trees. Can’t wait for spring.
 

TN_Jim

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Could work on reply skills with my phone a bit.
Half of this aforementioned trunk was in the dirt before I dug it, as evidenced by those high roots. I've seen this same thing with the ol' beaten ditch hackberry around. Any thoughts appreciated.
Good luck to you, Nanookadenord4.
 

leatherback

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Half of this aforementioned trunk was in the dirt before I dug it, as evidenced by those high roots. I've seen this same thing with the ol' beaten ditch hackberry around. Any thoughts appreciated.

Burry the whole root section in the ground, with a wire tightened just above the scar no the trunk. Make sure the wireis well below the substrate. Then let the plant shootfor a year. Next spring you should have a good start of oroots sprouting from just above the wire, and you can remove the rest of the root.
 
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