sparklemotion doubts her commitment to this contest entry thread

[sparklemotion]

11/8/2017: Ordered seeds
Source A (red): 500 Pinus Thunbergii - rareexoticseeds.com - $6.80 (+$4.90 S&H)
Source B (orange): 40 (4 packs of 10) Pinus Thunbergii 'Mikawa' myseeds.co $16.95(via Amazon.com)
Source C (yellow): 50 Pinus Thunbergii - treeseeds.com $4 (+$1.00 S&H) (via Amazon.com)

Ordered Book: Bonsai Today Master's Series: Pine stonelantern.com - $24.95

Plan:
Most of my seed starting adventures fail because of poor organization. I'm going to try to categorize things better this time around.

Year 1
Soak + fridge stratify (timing TBD)
2 10x20 flats
Flat 1 and Flat 2 will try two different germination media (TBD)
Aim for 72 seeds per tray (maybe use cells), 144 started seeds total.
Estimate:
Flat 1:
36 Red
18 Orange
18 Yellow

Flat 2:
36 Red
18 Orange
18 Yellow

record germination success for seed source/media (red 1/2, orange 1/2, yellow 1/2)
make root cuttings of 6 each source that successfully germinated ~ 18 in 3rd flat (3" pots)

When non-cut cells are full of roots, cull to 36 strongest, pot up to 3" pots (18 in Flat 1 and Flat 2).

(potting up schedule to be revisited)

Year 2
Best case, starting with 54 yearlings
Record success for each category:
Red 1 Cut
Red 1 Not Cut
Red 2 Cut
Red 2 Not Cut
Orange 1 Cut
Orange 1 Not Cut
Orange 2 Cut
Orange 2 Not Cut
Yellow 1 Cut
Yellow 1 Not Cut
Yellow 2 Cut
Yellow 2 Not Cut

Donate/sell in fall to get to 36 - back to 2 flats

Year 3
Best case, 36 2 year old plants
Plant 6 in ground, root prune and wire remaining (30 best case), maybe up to 6" pots.

Donate/sell in fall to get to 12 in pots, 6 in ground.

At least 2 pots are multi-stem forests

Year 4
?

Year 5
Lift ground trees, pot as appropriate


Year 6
Profit!

 

[PeaceLoveBonsai]

What’s the Red, orange, yellow?

 

[sparklemotion]

The labeling system that I plan to use.

 

[sparklemotion]

11/13/17: Received Source B (orange): 40 (4 packs of 10) Pinus Thunbergii 'Mikawa' myseeds.co $16.95(via Amazon.com)

Shipping label dated 11/9/2017

 

[sorce]

I don't doubt.

Knock it out !

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

Donate/sell in fall to get to 36

If you're growing them already if you keep all of them the 6 years or more they will be way more valuable than 2 year old plants.
Like @sorce said too. I don't doubt you've got it in you.
Get after it.

 

[sparklemotion]

If you're growing them already if you keep all of them the 6 years or more they will be way more valuable than 2 year old plants.

It's a time-and-space management issue. 36 trees (even babies) that aren't MN hardy is already a lot to manage, and I did buy some other species that I will be growing out too.

No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy, so we'll see how I feel in a couple of years.

Like @sorce said too. I don't doubt you've got it in you.
Get after it.

The title is a joke based on the origin of my username:

There's a lot to unpack if you haven't seen Donnie Darko.

 

[just.wing.it]

Donnie Darko.

I remember watching that one....
Weird if I recall....
Cool plan!
Hope all goes well for you.

 

[drew33998]

Geez im starting to doubt my organization...

 

[sparklemotion]

Sometime between 11/20 and 11/26 (traveling) received:

Source A (red): 500 Pinus Thunbergii - rareexoticseeds.com - $6.80 (+$4.90 S&H)

Source C (yellow): 50 Pinus Thunbergii - treeseeds.com $4 (+$1.00 S&H) (via Amazon.com)

 

[sparklemotion]

My excess is the MN Bonsai Society's gain. Put together some seed packets....


I also decided to get some hype for Team Minnesota up in here.

 

[Anthony]

What you - need - is Bonsai Today no. 12
Pages - 19 to 32
Growing from seed ------- big trunks and normal balanced trees. Two Ideas.

After 5 years - 3 inch trunks.
and
combine with Bonsai Today no. 10 -------- needle and branch treatment.

The situation is after year 1 to encourage extensions of 3 feet and get trunk
expansions of 1 inch.
3 expansions / branch expansions = 3 inches.
So theoretically, you could do it all in the second year and then spend
the next three years on branch refinement.

This is for zone 7 to 13b.

The guy uses earthenware pots or stoneware pots [ he may bury them in
the earth and mulch or other for frost protection or other.[ B.T 12 ]
Possibly very agressive seedlings.
We have one pot doing the above, but at 3 to 4 years of age.

BT 20 is about the growth of a single effort that folk on your side want to understand - the how.
BUT it isn't really about seed to Bonsai, more about Mame' Bonsai.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[sorce]

You are a sweetheart!

Ha!

Not just committed....

Committing others!

Great packet!

Sorce

 

[sparklemotion]

Soaked March 15-March 17,very few floaters from any source.





Stratified with paper towel because I had a bad time dealing with tsuga seeds and spaghnum a while back.

 

[sparklemotion]

March 26 - planting day!

A - 110
B - 38
C - 140

Substrate is seed starting mix from a hippy nursery, with a layer of play sand on top.

 

[my nellie]

Good luck to you!

 

[sparklemotion]

The soil mix Organic Mechanic's Seed Starting Blend. Contains: coconut coir, pine bark, rice hulls, worm castings, and an OMRI-listed organic fertilizer.

Good luck to you!

Thanks!

 

[sparklemotion]

First hints of sprouts showed up on April 6th.

Today, I am coming to terms with the fact that my plan to have things outside by the time it's time for seedling cuttings may have been a little overly optimistic. (note our wonderful fresh snow... 18 inches yesterday, another 6 so far today, and still falling)

 

[fourteener]

Hey, I’m from Duluth. Spring might be here by fall!

 

[sparklemotion]

A fortnight goes by and all of a sudden it's 70F and sunny. A perfect day to get my Sweeney Todd on.

I had planned to only do cuttings on some seedlings, but with how tightly they were growing in the flats, I figured I'd make all the cuttings that were ready. There are plenty of seeds just beginning to pop, so we'll see how I feel about the second batch.



I used Jonas D's method from Bonsai Tonight, with the exception of soaking in 10x strength Dip-and-Grow instead of plain water. This is based his post where he experimented with different rooting chemicals, and 1-5 mins in DAP seemed to have the most impressive results.



The main soil is (mostly) turface/granite/pine bark, because I had a bunch mixed. I used a wine cork to make holes to fill with play sand. The pictured cork is also being used as a painting tool (hence the nail, and the spray paint).


Rare Exotic Seeds (red) was definitely the winner this batch, in sheer numbers. 33 cuttings out of the original 110 seeds. There were more that looked ready, and still more on the way.

MySeeds (Green) was also pretty good, percentage-wise with 13 cuttings out of 38 seeds. I'm not confident that I will see many more though.

TreeSeeds (Blue) was low now (2 of 140), but based on the number of sprouts just starting, I am sure that they will catch up.