I've found the Zelkova very easy from seed with no pre-treatment. Acer
palmatum were always difficult for me until I stopped buying seed and
went and collected them from trees in autumn. The seed is immediately
left in damp sand to stratify outdoors for a winter and then sown in
spring. I get very good results this way. I grew Sequoia giganteum about
ten years ago from seed with no special treatment, though the
germination percentage was low. I still have the two that grew.
I grow seed in a 50/50 sharp sand/peat mix. Bonsai soil is too coarse.
Be prepared for a long wait for your seedlings to become anything that
you can work with. Make sure that you spread the roots radially when you
plant seedlings in their own pots (usually after one year in a seed
flat). After their second year it is a huge advantage if you can plant
them out in the ground for a few years to thicken.
Best of luck
Kev Bailey
North Wales - Zone 9
I am just starting out in bonsai. I would like to grow some trees from
seeds. I purchased some acer palmatum, Chinese zelkova, and giant
sequoia
seeds. The instructions for the maple say to cold stratify for 120 days.
If
I start this process now what should I do for the first winter? Will
they
survive outside with the proper protection or should they stay inside? I
could keep them in my garage which won't go below about 40*. Also, I've
read
that giant sequoia are difficult to grow. Why is that and what special
care
do they need? Can I start all the seeds in bonsai soil? I made a mixture
today of fir bark, perlite, and sphagnum moss following the
recommendations
of Brent Walston on
www.evergreengardenworks.com I've been reading
everything I can on the internet, but haven't found these answers. I
attended the RI Bonsai Society exhibit today, and also became a member.
I
signed up for their workshop too, but that won't be for a couple of
weeks.
I'll wait until then before I start working with existing trees.
Thanks
Dante
RI - Zone 6
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