jloeschner

Hello, and welcome to the forum. I am relatively new to bonsai, as well, and fully understand the enthusiasm for growing things. I have many seeds that are just beginning to sprout, including various pines, maples, and others. I planted them just to see if I could get them to sprout and then, most importantly, survive. Now, having said that, let me tell you something that you may not want or like to hear. The "kit" you bought will not produce a bonsai for MANY years to come, providing that any of the seeds even sprout, and then survive.

If you are wanting to truly delve into this great practice, I recommend that you buy a good bonsai book, read the past posts on this and other bonsai forums, and if it is a possibility, join a bonsai club or at least visit a bonsai nursery and ask questions. Even if you can't join a club or visit a nursery, you should at least get a good book. My first book was Harry Tomlinson's Complete Book of Bonsai. I highly recommend it, since it has some good information about a wide variety of species that even a beginner can understand and follow.

After you have gained a little more knowledge, you will understand that you will need to start with a tree that has already been grown out for several years. Even a common Lowe's juniper is more suitable than starting from seed. Of course, as you gain experience, you will want to get better and better stock to begin with, but at first, any old tree will spark excitement in you.

Meanwhile, as you practice, hone and learn new bonsai skills, you can continue to grow and nurture your seedlings. Who knows, by the time they are large enough to work on, you may have learned enough to create masterpieces from them...

Anyway, as for how to properly germinate them, I would hesitate to cover them with plastic, unless you are in a colder climate. When they first begin to sprout, they are very susceptable to "damping off" and must be cared for meticulously. Since they are pines, they will need plenty of sunlight, and must NOT be kept inside. Pines also like to get dry between waterings, so be careful not to overwater them. Of course, you must also make sure that they do not get too dry, as well.

A simpler way to go about this would probably be to plant these seeds in the ground outside. That is where they will have the best chances for survival, if you live in the proper climate, that is. From my experiences with pine seeds, the ones I planted in the ground have grown much better than the ones I planted in a container.

Oh, yeah, one more point that I need to make about my experience...I do NOT have any mature pine bonsai. All of my pines are either planted in my yard or are struggling seedlings in various containers. I have not trained any of these trees as bonsai, and probably will not since they are so scrawny. When I finally decide to train a pine, I will probably just buy a good piece of stock from a bonsai nursery.

Anyway, good luck with your seeds and efforts to grow and train bonsai.

Regards,
John

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