I Haven't Even Planted The Seed! Help Me!

FredL

I'm no expert on Jack Pine (they do very poorly this far South), but, in general, trees that drop their seeds in the Fall want to be cold and damp for several weeks, at least, between Fall and Spring and germinate in the Spring. You can duplicate these conditions in many ways, but the key is cold and damp for the Winter. Many people use the refrigerator; I put seeds outside for over-wintering.

Jack Pine will not live inside the house. They are native to the Northern US and Canada and require cool summers and long, cold winters. Some trees (Ponderosa Pine, for example) have amazing adaptability to different climates. Jack Pine is not one of them.

If your Jack Pines do not work out well, if you look around your area, you should be able to find many species that are well adapted to it that make great bonsai. If you are constrained to growing your trees indoors, there are tropical species that can be grown inside. Ficus trees are popular for indoor bonsai. It is not likely, however, that you will be successful with Jack Pine indoors.

Best of luck, Fred