Emery Davis wrote:
On Wed, 30 May 2007 09:53:30 +0100
Paul Waites wrote:

Hi all,

For the last ten years or so each Autumn I've popped a few Japanese
Maple seeds into a cold frame and it has produced me over the years a
good few small trees...

A couple of questions though...

1) They are still very small after ten years. Each year several die off
despite my best efforts. (I notice that shop maples tend to be grafted,
I guess that the root stock may have something to do with it).

Any theories on how to nurture them on... After this length of time I
don't want to loose them all.

2) Pricking them out & potting on is always a tricky time... Currently I
use about a 50/50 mix of peat based compost & John innes No2 (Sifted
garden soil if I don't have any No2).

Does anyone know the best soil for home grown Japanese Maples?

Thanks for any ideas.


Hello Paul,

You may just have small trees. Still congratulations are in order,
not everyone manages to germinate the seeds, and the seedlings
often die.

Shop maples are grafted (or should be) because that is the only way
to propagate the true cultivar. Rootstock is seed grown A. palmatum,
mutations are presumably rejected (unless dwarfing rootstock is
desired for bonsai etc).

Check out this thread:

http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/fo...light=soil+mix

The ubc maple forum is a good place to ask all maple related questions, and
of course searching the database will provide a lot of info.

HTH

-E

Thanks Emery,

I guess that I've just been lucky with the seed.... A cold frame over
Winter gives the seed the cold that it needs and they germinate well in
Spring. Its keeping them growing that is the challenge... Will do some
research on the UBC forums...

Cheers,

Paul.