[IBC] Amur Maple Seed Germination

Andrew G

Hi everyone.
I have acquired Amur maple seeds.
I have been told to soak them for 24hrs, the refrigerate them for 2-4months.
I know the risk of fungal attack and so on with seeds so my question is do I
dry these before refrigerating, and what should I put them in for
refrigerated storage? Envelope, peat moss, container?

Thanks for any help.
Great group you have here
Andrew
Mid North Coast, NSW, Australia

Advertisement

MartyWeiser

Andrew - I generally just plant Amur maple out in flats the fall, leave it
exposed to the elements (with reasonable moisture) except for some screen to
keep critters out, and get decent germination rates in the spring. My seed
is collected from local trees, but is normally quite dry. Amur maples tend
to produce many, many seeds which is a sign that they do not expect a high
germination/survival rate. - Marty

-----Original Message-----
From: Internet Bonsai Club [mailto:BONSAI@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM] On Behalf Of
Andrew G
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 6:55 PM
To: BONSAI@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM
Subject: [IBC] Amur Maple Seed Germination

Hi everyone.
I have acquired Amur maple seeds.
I have been told to soak them for 24hrs, the refrigerate them for 2-4months.
I know the risk of fungal attack and so on with seeds so my question is do I
dry these before refrigerating, and what should I put them in for
refrigerated storage? Envelope, peat moss, container?

Thanks for any help.
Great group you have here
Andrew
Mid North Coast, NSW, Australia

************************************************** **************************
****
++++Sponsored, in part, by John Quinn++++
************************************************** **************************
****
>>-->> The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ <<--<<
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail BONSAI-REQUEST@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM +++++

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by John Quinn++++
************************************************** ******************************
>>-->> The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ <<--<<
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail BONSAI-REQUEST@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM +++++

Evergreen Gardenworks

At 11:54 AM 7/1/04 +1000, Andrew wrote:
>Hi everyone.
>I have acquired Amur maple seeds.
>I have been told to soak them for 24hrs, the refrigerate them for 2-4months.
>I know the risk of fungal attack and so on with seeds so my question is do I
>dry these before refrigerating, and what should I put them in for
>refrigerated storage? Envelope, peat moss, container?

Andrew

I soak them, drain off all the water and then mix with an equal volume of
DRY vermiculite. Then I put the mixture in a plastic ziplock bag and pop
them in the refrigerator for the winter. By the time the weather is
suitable for sowing them, they will be ready to germinate. You should get
excellent germination.

The vermiculite soaks up all the excess surface moisture and provides a
reservoir of moisture without leaving the mixture 'wet', which can lead to
mold. Some people use peat moss, but peat moss itself will mold,
vermiculite will not support the growth of mold, it is inorganic. Do not
try to store them like this any longer than necessary. They need about
three months minimum for complete pretreatment.

Hopefully these seeds were fresh, without overdrying. Most Acer seeds don't
store well and should be pretreated immediately after collecting.


Brent in Northern California
Evergreen Gardenworks USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 14
mailto:bonsai@pacific.net
http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by John Quinn++++
************************************************** ******************************
>>-->> The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ <<--<<
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail BONSAI-REQUEST@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM +++++

Mark Hill

As usual Brent, you've provided me with a wealth of very useful information.

I have one question that bothers me ......
I've always assumed that certain seeds require dormancy before they'll
sprout.
My mother-in-law has a beautiful 30+ year old multi-trunk A. Palmatum
"Bloodgood" growing in her front yard.
Every spring it drops millions of miniature "helicopters" that cover the
lawn, flowerbeds and fill the cracks in the sidewalk. Within two weeks, the
ground is covered in little trees. It usually takes two months of constant
lawn mowing, flowerbed picking and sidewalk pressure washing to rid her yard
of them all. I've filled enough 1 gallon pots with seedlings to go into my
own "Bloodgood Business" !!

Is this normal ?
Obviously the seeds don't need dormancy to sprout.

Thanks for your continued words of wisdom.

Mark Hill - Harrisburg PA - Zone 6


-----Original Message-----
From: Internet Bonsai Club [mailto:BONSAI@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM] On Behalf Of
Evergreen Gardenworks
Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2004 12:06 PM
To: BONSAI@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM
Subject: Re: [IBC] Amur Maple Seed Germination

At 11:54 AM 7/1/04 +1000, Andrew wrote:
>Hi everyone.
>I have acquired Amur maple seeds.
>I have been told to soak them for 24hrs, the refrigerate them for
2-4months.
>I know the risk of fungal attack and so on with seeds so my question is do
I
>dry these before refrigerating, and what should I put them in for
>refrigerated storage? Envelope, peat moss, container?

Andrew

I soak them, drain off all the water and then mix with an equal volume of
DRY vermiculite. Then I put the mixture in a plastic ziplock bag and pop
them in the refrigerator for the winter. By the time the weather is
suitable for sowing them, they will be ready to germinate. You should get
excellent germination.

The vermiculite soaks up all the excess surface moisture and provides a
reservoir of moisture without leaving the mixture 'wet', which can lead to
mold. Some people use peat moss, but peat moss itself will mold,
vermiculite will not support the growth of mold, it is inorganic. Do not
try to store them like this any longer than necessary. They need about
three months minimum for complete pretreatment.

Hopefully these seeds were fresh, without overdrying. Most Acer seeds don't
store well and should be pretreated immediately after collecting.


Brent in Northern California
Evergreen Gardenworks USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 14
mailto:bonsai@pacific.net
http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com

************************************************** **************************
****
++++Sponsored, in part, by John Quinn++++
************************************************** **************************
****
>>-->> The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ <<--<<
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail BONSAI-REQUEST@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM +++++

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by John Quinn++++
************************************************** ******************************
>>-->> The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ <<--<<
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail BONSAI-REQUEST@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM +++++

Jim Lewis

> I've always assumed that certain seeds require dormancy before
they'll
> sprout.

Some do, others don't.

> My mother-in-law has a beautiful 30+ year old multi-trunk A.
Palmatum
> "Bloodgood" growing in her front yard.
> Every spring it drops millions of miniature "helicopters" that
cover the
> lawn, flowerbeds and fill the cracks in the sidewalk. Within
two weeks, the
> ground is covered in little trees. It usually takes two months
of constant
> lawn mowing, flowerbed picking and sidewalk pressure washing to
rid her yard
> of them all. I've filled enough 1 gallon pots with seedlings to
go into my
> own "Bloodgood Business" !!

Well, they're probably no longer "Bloodgoods" since the tree
probably doesn't seed true to type. But you can go into the Acer
palmatum business. ;-)
>
> Is this normal ?

For some maples, yes (and other trees, too). The American red
(swamp) maple (Acer rubrum) germinates immediately, too. I could
go into the A, rubrum business. ;-)

Jim Lewis - jklewis@nettally.com

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by John Quinn++++
************************************************** ******************************
>>-->> The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ <<--<<
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail BONSAI-REQUEST@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM +++++