problems starting j. maple seeds?

jbfyffe

I purchased some acer pal diss "Viridis" seeds recently and was assured they had been stratified, I soaked them overnight in lukewarm water and they all sank. I placed them in some good seed starting medium how long should it be before i know if they are going to germinate.

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Aaron_K

Hi JB,

Seeds are a hit and miss affair at the best of times and there is no exact science on getting them to germinate as there are many factors involved that influence germination. Acer Palmatum can take anything up to 4 years to germinate, but normally do within 1-2 years.

However, if memory serves me correctly, dissectum varieties of Japanese maple are much more difficult to germinate from seed and depending on the quantity sown, you may not get any to germinate at all.

All the best,

Aaron

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bwaynef

Many dissectum varieties are sterile. Thats probably PART of the difficulty germinating their seeds.

WF

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zube

The other thing that should be mentioned is this - true Japanese maple cultivars are never grown from seed. True cultivars are genetic clones of the parent, and are usually grafted from cuttings. All cultivars have seeds, which will usually sprout, I assume, but they generally will not have the characteristics of the parent cultivar.
zube

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Brent

Japanese maple, Acer palmatum, and their hybrids especially, often have multiple germination inhibitors. These must be broken down in order for them to germinate. These are most commonly broken down by either warm moist pre treatment or cold moist pretreatment. The easiest way to do this is to keep them moist (not wet) in a ziplock bag and give them alternating cold/warm pretreatments. If they have already had cold/moist (as the seller infers), then keep them at 70F and moist for three months. Watch for signs of germination. If any germinate, remove them, but keep going with the process for the others. After three months warm, give them 3 months cold in the refrigerator. Again, remove any that germinate. After 3 months, return to warm/ moist for 3 months, keep doing this until all have germinated, or the seed rots.

To test seed, cut a few open with concave cutters to inspect the kernal. It should be creamy white and solid. If it is watery, or dark, then it is rotten. If the first few are rotten, keep going to see if you can find any viable ones. If you find about 20 bad ones with no good ones, throw the lot away. Dissectum seed is always difficult and not worth the effort in my opinion. The offspring will not be 'Viridis' and will show variable leaf shapes if they do grow they will be curiosities only. If you want cultivars, buy grafts, or better yet cutting grown plants if you can find them. If you just want good old solid Japanese maple for bonsai, stick with species green seedlings, or collect the seed yourself. Fresh green species seed will almost always germinate in high percentages after a single cold/moist treatment; I have grown thousands of them.

I once went through this whole process with some A. palmatum x japonicum hybrid seed and it took two years for most of them to germinate.

For more information on seedling propagation see this article at my website:

http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/seeds.htm

Brent
EvergreenGardenworks.com
see our blog at http://BonsaiNurseryman.typepad.com

Razel

If your a bonsai grower and need a well grafted small tree you can contact us here and we will make sure you get what will work for you. Just let us know what you want and that you need it for bonsai.

Grafted Japanese Maples of the dissectum cultivars at http://wheelersgreenhouseandnursery.com

BONSAI_OUTLAW

Nice site Razel... Where do y'all graft these maples? Up high or down low?

Razel

How ever you want them, normally they are done a few inches, (3-4") above the pot however they can be done high or right at the pot as well. I think its just a personal preference myself. I think low ones are better in the long run however some people insist on high ones. Low ones (next to the pot) usually require alot more time involved as the fingers get a lil cramped If your needing one for bonsai just let us know and how you want it via email or phone. We have more of certain cultivars (the most popular ones) however if your looking for something specific let us know and we'll try to accomodate you.